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California Department of Housing and Community DevelopmentLinda Nichols, Section Chief, CDBG Program

California Disaster Recovery Initiative Working with Tribal

GovernmentsApril 2008

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Natural disasters strike everywhere

……………………………….Including Indian Reservations

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Know where the tribes are and who they are….

There are 561 federally recognized tribes in the U.S and Alaska

California, for example, is occupied by 109 of these!

How many tribes are there in or near to your state?

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Mapping out the areas………….

Do you know the geographical locations of these reservations and do you know where the greatest concentrations of Native American populations live on these reservations?

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Communication and Information upfront counts……..

How large is the reservation? Does a river run through the reservation? Is the reservation rich in resources like

timber? Is the reservation located in or near a city?

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What are the needs…………..

Demographics, unmet needs – funding resources available

Who will providing or facilitating the provision of emergency disaster assistance to tribes –state/non-profit

Working with Tribal councils and what that means

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Planning……………

Have a plan of action to serve tribes in your region or state.

Your plan should have, at a minimum….

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Information to have………….

A list of all the tribes in your vicinity. Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Offices has this information

addresses, phone numbers, names of tribal officials

Including the tribal chairperson tribal administrator and… any tribal emergency personnel such as the fire

chief if the tribe has one or the police chief.

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Information on services, populations, land and uses………..

A list of local surrounding city or county emergency resources that might have a mutual aid agreement already in place or be available to serve each reservation community such as:

Fire departments Hospitals Ambulance services Forest Service or National Park Service office Maps

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Tips for working with Tribal governments

Protocols American Indian tribes that are federally

recognized have working governments Use the proper protocols when dealing with

tribes Respect and work with the governments as you

would any city or county government

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Yes coordination helps………….

Coordination Emphasize the benefits of quick response by

establishing an effective coordination of mutual aid capabilities between city, county, state and federal emergency assistance agencies and Indian tribes

Set a coordination policy such as that of California’s Office of Emergency Services

Work with other state and federal agencies

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Things to plan for………

Don’t forget…..Disaster assistance efforts on and near reservation communities

The post disaster recovery efforts may involve reconstruction.

Take care not to damage…Native American “non renewable” cultural resources!

Do your “after action” reviews so that next time you can be even more effective!

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Working with CDBG DRI

Examples of tribal government Sample OES document General Planning documents Land use issues and permits Types of land holding for tribal trust Developing a tribal directory for federal and non-

federal tribes State tribal liaison groups

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In closing……………..tips to ensure your plan covers……..

Working with tribal governments Consulting with tribes before disasters Recognizing sovereignty How they hold title to the land Developing a statewide plan Buy in from tribes and counties What types of exemptions on tribal land? How to provide TA on handling the money and forms CA tribal directory Participate in state tribal liaisons