Bringing to light the disaster recovery needs of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe was the focus of a summit hosted by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) and the South Dakota Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD). The Summit, held on March 11 at the Prairie Winds Casino on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, brought together more than 70 individuals representing 37 agencies seeking to learn how they can assist this community in need.

The reservation is located in remote southwestern South Dakota and is among the most poverty-stricken areas of the country.In May of 2015, a series of storms left flooding and wind damaged to hundreds of homes, many in already stressed conditions. The Oglala Sioux requested a federal disaster declaration, which was granted by President Obama in August.This was the first time FEMA’s Individual Assistance program was made available directly to a tribe, rather than through a state.

FEMA has been on the ground at Pine Ridge for eight months, and is repairing or replacing more than 300 homes as part of its efforts. However, the overall need is much greater. Additional storms later in the year created a great deal of damage that is not covered by the federal disaster declaration. In fact, only one in five of the households that registered for FEMA aid were eligible for federal assistance programs. That leaves a sizable group with unmet needs.

That’s where the South Dakota VOAD and CDP have stepped in. Because the Oglala Sioux disaster did not initially garner a great deal of media coverage and cultural reluctance to accept help from outside the reservation, many local agencies were not aware of the level of need. FEMA’s voluntary agency liaisons reached out to voluntary agency partners in and attempt to bridge that gap and a new team was born.

One of the biggest challenges is that there was not a strong relationship between most members of the South Dakota VOAD and with organizations within in the reservation. FEMA has hired two tribal members to serve as VALs and that is creating some capacity within the tribe. A collaboration was also established with Re-Member, an organization that has spent nearly 20 years working on Pine Ridge, assisting residents with basic housing needs.Re-Member has the local know-how and relationships needed to break the ice with tribal members in need.

The goal of the partnership summit was to take team to the next level, combining the local knowledge of Re-Member with the wide variety of resources and expertise that other agencies can bring to the table. There are lots of great ideas out there, and now is the time to begin implementing them, but ensuring that solutions developed are also in harmony with the Oglala people is vital. This is a unique opportunity for all corners of the volunteer community to come together to assist the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.