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FEMA supports tribal disaster
declarations |
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December 7, 2011 |
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
under the direction of President Obama and
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet
Napolitano, announced today 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 still requires Congressional action, at
the 2011 Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the
White House last week in Washington, D.C.
"Consistent with our strong
government-to-government relationship, FEMA and
the administration support amending the Stafford
Act to allow federally recognized tribal
governments to make a request directly to the
president for a federal emergency or disaster
declaration,” said Fugate. “Tribal members are
an essential part of the emergency management
team, and amending the law would enhance FEMA’s
working relationship with tribal governments and
improve emergency and disaster responsiveness
throughout Indian Country. We look forward to
actively working with our tribal partners and
members of Congress to support and facilitate
the passage of such a change in the law.”
Under current law, only states, through the
governor, can make disaster declaration requests
directly to the president. Amending the law
would acknowledge the sovereignty of federally
recognized tribes and the trust relationship of
the United States, and enhance FEMA’s working
relationship with tribal governments, which
includes the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho.
Such a change would be another step in
fulfilling the promise of a presidential memo
issued by President Obama to improve the
administration’s support for tribal governments.
Such a legislative change to the Stafford Act
would allow a tribal government to choose
whether to directly request a separate
declaration or to receive assistance, as they do
presently, under a declaration for a state.
FEMA, under the leadership of this
administration, has committed to strengthening
its engagement with American Indians and Alaska
Natives, to better support tribal governments
and Indian Country as we work to build more
resilient and better prepared communities. FEMA
has implemented regulations and policies that,
once a disaster or emergency has been declared
under the Stafford Act, allow federally
recognized tribes to choose to become a direct
grantee under FEMA’s Public Assistance and
Hazard Mitigation Grant programs.
As part of these efforts to work with tribal
governments directly, during the past year FEMA
has designated tribal liaisons in each of their
ten regional offices, and hired an attorney who
is educated, trained, and experienced in federal
Indian law and emergency management so as to
better support tribes before, during and after
an emergency or disaster strikes. This has
allowed the agency, they say, to more closely
coordinate with tribes, and make sure they have
the support they need while planning, preparing
for, responding to and recovering from
emergencies and disasters.
Boundary County, in its recent adoption of local
land use laws, also affirmed the soverereignty
of the Kootenai Tribe, ceding land use
jurisdiction on tribal trust lands within the
county to the tribe. |
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