Natural disasters and Indian Country

Dec 19, 2011

One outcome of the conference this year was an announcement by Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Administrator Craig Fugate. Fugate stated that it would be beneficial to “allow federally recognized tribal governments to make disaster declaration requests directly to the president.” The benefit would be improving disaster and emergency responsiveness in Indian Country, especially after a series of natural disasters that have hit Indian Country in New Mexico, Montana, Washington, Nebraska, and South Dakota among other places in the last year.

However, legislative action is still required to change the existing law (the Stafford Act), which currently allows only governors of states to make direct requests to the President for disaster relief through FEMA. As it stands, tribal nations can receive disaster relief aid from FEMA, but it must be requested and distributed by the state. The proposed change would recognize tribal sovereignty and allow tribal leaders and nations to apply directly for disaster relief aid.