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FEMA Announces Support for Legislative Change to Allow Tribal Governments to Directly Apply for Federal Disaster Aid

12/07/2011 11:05 AM EST

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under the direction of President Obama and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, announced that it supports amending federal law to allow federally recognized tribal governments to make disaster declaration requests directly to the president. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate first announced the administration's support for this change which would require Congressional action, at the 2011 Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the White House last week in Washington, D.C.

 

NCAI Commends FEMA Support for Direct Authority of Tribal Governments to Apply for Presidential Disaster Declaration

Updates to Stafford Act would recognize tribal sovereignty and create flexibility for tribes and states when responding to emergency and disaster events The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) hailed today’s announcement by the Obama Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) in support of a change to the Stafford Act to give federally recognized tribal governments the authority to make disaster declaration requests directly to the President of the United States. The Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act currently allows only states, through a governor, to make these requests to the president. “Just like states, when disaster strikes, tribal nations must act swiftly to respond to protect and secure lives, infrastructure, and public health. We call on Congress to fix the Stafford Act and incorporate the sovereign status of tribal nations in this important law. These changes will also provide tribes and states critical flexibility in responding to catastrophic events when communities need it most,” said Jefferson Keel, President of NCAI, the country’s oldest and largest American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization. “The support of the Administration and FEMA for a legislative change recognizes not only the sovereignty of tribal nations, but also acknowledges the critical role tribes play in the network of emergency response and disaster relief at the local and national level.” Tribal nations represent a unique and important sector of the United States homeland security and emergency management system. Twelve tribal nations are each larger than the state of Rhode Island and nine have a land base larger than the state of Delaware. Last year alone, tribes experienced major catastrophic events tied to blizzards, floods, fires, and manmade events resulting in multi-million dollar losses in tribal government infrastructure, and personal property.   In the event of a catastrophic natural disaster or manmade incident, the Stafford Act currently creates an unnecessary loss of valuable response time in seeking federal assistance. Tribal governments are currently required to seek a state governor’s approval for a federal disaster declaration, delaying response times, and sometimes receiving no response at all. As harsh winters descend upon North America, the US Congress is reviewing various changes to the Stafford Act and inaction will leave both tribes and states without the proper tools and mechanisms to respond to major disaster events.

 Alaska Storm Update:

We closely monitored a Severe Winter Storm in Alaska on November 9th of this year. Please see these remarkable slides brought to us by Alaska Dispatch, a newspaper article released by the Anchorage Daily News and information from NOAA and FEMA below:

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/slideshow/photos-november-2011-arctic-storm

http://www.adn.com/2011/11/09/2163238/alaskans-weather-epic-bering-sea.html#ixzz1dKQrzb53

 

November 9, 2011

NOAA/NWS ForEcast

Wednesday, Nov. 9 -- Forecast map published by the National Weather Service.

 

 

We continue to closely monitor a dangerous winter storm system forecasted to affect the west coast of Alaska today and tomorrow.  According to the National Weather Service, the storm may bring extremely strong winds to all of the Alaska west coast, accompanied by widespread major coastal flooding and severe beach erosion over the coastline.

To date, the National Weather Service has issued winter storm, blizzard, coastal and inland flood warnings along the Bering Sea and West Coast of Alaska and predicts that conditions will worsen and may become life-threatening for a portion of the western Alaska coast.  (For your local weather forecast, visit weather.gov or http://mobile.weather.gov on your smartphone.)

Our Role
Through the regional office in Bothell, Washington, our area office in Anchorage, Alaska and the National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. we remain in constant contact with our state, local, tribal and federal partners including Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, National Weather Service, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Department of Defense.

In advance of the storm, we placed liaisons in the Alaska State Emergency Operations Center in Anchorage, Alaska to support and assist to coordinate federal support as needed. We have also deployed a regional Incident Management Assistance Team to Alaska to also support the state.

We also have additional teams standing by, including preliminary damage assessment teams, should their assistance be required.  In addition, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Coast Guard have air assets available to support the state, should they be needed.

Follow Direction of Local Officials
We encourage all those in the potentially affected areas to follow the direction of local officials and keep informed of local conditions.  If local authorities order an evacuation, leave immediately; follow evacuation routes announced by officials, and stay away from coastal areas, river banks and streams.  As forecasts call for the potential of coastal flooding, tidal surges and related flash flooding, remember that it can take only a few minutes to a few hours to develop.

For more information and winter preparedness tips, please visit: Ready.gov/winter or http://m.fema.gov on your smartphone.

Stay Connected
Follow the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

• On your computer: Website, Facebook, Twitter
• On your phone: Facebook and Twitter

 

If you have any questions, please contact FEMA’s Intergovernmental Affairs Division at 202.646.3444.

 

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