She never collected a lot of votes in Eastern Oregon because of her party affiliation but Gov. Kate Brown did a good, and proper, thing last week when she helped convince the Joint Legislative Emergency Board to approve a $2 million allocation to Wallowa to help it recover from an epic and destructive hailstorm in August.

The Joint Legislative Emergency Board unanimously approved the request.

Brown spearheaded the move to get the money and for that effort she deserves a lot of credit. While there has already been a lot of local assistance — people donating their time to help impacted residents rebuild and recover — the state allocation will hopefully make a big difference.

The powerful August storm was unusual in its appearance and severity and left a trail of devastation across the county. Wallowa County is like many rural, secluded areas of the state where money for disaster relief isn’t readily available. That’s why the governor’s decision to ask the Emergency Board for assistance was so crucial.

Rural areas of the state are not used to looking for handouts. It isn’t in our nature as East Oregonians to seek outside help even in the worst of disasters because we are a hardy bunch who understand the notion of self-efficiency better than most.

Yet, the storm in August was so surprisingly destructive that it was obvious within a few moments after the squall receded that assistance from outside the county was going to be needed as soon as possible.

Gov. Brown, because of her party affiliation and because of some of her viewpoints, was never going to be that popular in Eastern Oregon. That’s politics. Yet what makes this move so significant is the governor’s act to seek more funds for the county was not about politics but about helping her fellow Oregonians. With her term nearing its end, she didn’t have to do much for anyone but that she did and in this case helped Wallowa County shows that she wanted to do the right thing.

The county needs the money. There is a long road ahead total recovery. The governor’s request for the money the right one at the right time and for all the right reasons. In this specific case, Gov. Brown showed she cares about all of Oregon.