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Recovery on Pine Ridge – One year later: A Holistic Approach – Partners Working Together

PINE RIDGE, S.D. – Hundreds of families’ lives were turned upside down and were severely affected after the devastating storms and floods hit Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Many homes were beyond repair. Families and friends were forced to find other places to live, doubling and tripling up in homes that were habitable, at a time when there was already a significant housing shortage on the Reservation.

Dirt and gravel roads took a heavy beating, with washouts numerous and culverts damaged. This limited access for individuals to basic needs, including food and medical attention.

Even before the storms, resources within the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) were already stretched to the limits. Recovery was going to take time… and take many partners working as one.

Housing and roads were among the priorities identified by Oglala Sioux Tribal President John Yellow Bird Steele. Two task forces with leaders and members from the tribe, OST organizations, and federal agencies, were established to confront these challenges head on. Their task is to identify the issues, and work to make things better not only now, but for the future.

Housing

The OST Housing Task Force, is co-chaired by the Oglala Sioux Lakota Housing and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The focus has been on “One Nation – One Number” – OST’s initiative to document unmet housing needs and capture a comprehensive number of people living on the reservation. The hard numbers can better tell the story of overcrowding and cramped living conditions than anecdotal details alone. And while some numbers are currently available, there is no uniformity in how they are compiled or methodologies used. Consistency and accuracy of the numbers is vital for all the various funding opportunities for tribal programs.

Another initiative is underway to combat the high energy bills on the reservation by delivering a simple weatherization program outlining ways in which homeowners can improve energy efficiency in their homes. It focuses on providing information about no-cost and low-cost ways of saving energy – things that individuals can do themselves.

Roads

The OST Roads Task Force, is co-chaired by the Oglala Sioux Tribe-Department of Transportation (OST-DOT) and the Federal Highways Administration. As with the Housing Task Force, many tribal federal partners have come to the table. And like the Housing Task Force, the Roads Task Force found the lack of data documenting tribal roads and conditions can contribute to inadequate funding and opportunities for road construction, repairs, equipment and personnel.

For two months, assessment teams traveled the reservation, collecting information on location, construction, and condition on 1720 tribal roads totaling 466 miles to be entered into the OST-DOT data base. It will be included in the Geospatial Information System (GIS) mapping of Pine Ridge Reservation, as part of the OST “One Nation – One Map” project.

Estimates of repair and maintenance costs are also being developed to demonstrate funding needs and support prioritization of tribal road improvement projects and maintenance. This will also provide a baseline for the future by detailing the current condition of all roads.

Preparing for the Future

Building capability within the Tribe has also been a priority focus. Education, training and other initiatives provide opportunities for the tribe to enhance their ability to plan for and respond in the future.

Strategic Planning and Management Training was offered to Tribal leadership and agency staff teaching the importance of planning and walking through a step by step planning process and create a plan for the area they were responsible for. This will augment the work of an OST Planning Office, which is in development.
Tribal officials and employees attended FEMA’s “Emergency Management Framework for Tribal Governments” course. This training provides tribal leaders a basic understanding of emergency management and their role in leading and directing their tribe in implementing comprehensive emergency management systems.
Tribal leaders and members representing multiple tribal agencies received training on FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program projects, what could be considered eligible and requirements to apply.
In coordination with FEMA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Oglala Sioux Tribe, an in-depth assessment of all GIS activities on the reservation is underway. This assessment will analyze current staffing levels, equipment, IT infrastructure, and data needs. In addition, BIA will offer their “Principles of GIS” course to the tribal staff responsible for GIS activities.
One of the needs identified for the Pine Ridge Reservation is a structural fire suppression and prevention program, which currently is not available. Federal and tribal partners are taking steps to solve this issue and funding opportunities are being explored.

See more here –

Recovery on Pine Ridge – One year later: A Holistic Approach – Partners Working Together

Disaster Aid for June Storms in South Dakota Tops $3.4 Million

PIERRE, SD – The South Dakota Office of Emergency Management (SDOEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that more than $3.4 million in disaster aid has been approved to help communities in twelve counties and three tribal nations in South Dakota recover from a series of June storms. Those storms caused a swath of damage that stretched from southwest South Dakota through the center of the state.

According to South Dakota Director of Emergency Management Tina Titze, 26 applicants including the City of Pierre, West Central Electric Cooperative, and the Crow Creek, Lower Brule and Oglala Sioux tribal governments are receiving reimbursements for disaster costs and debris cleanup. Federal Coordinating Officer Gary Stanley added, “Under the presidential disaster declaration FEMA reimburses applicants for not less than 75 percent of eligible recovery costs and the state of South Dakota contributes an additional 10 percent cost share.”

On July 30, 2015 President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the state making Brule, Buffalo, Fall River, Haakon, Hughes, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Lyman, McCook, Oglala Lakota and Stanley counties as well as the Crow Creek Sioux, Lower Brule Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribal nations eligible for federal disaster aid. The presidential declaration came in response to a request from Governor Dennis Daugaard following the June storms.

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides funding to local government jurisdictions and eligible private non-profits for the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged infrastructure as well as costs incurred for disaster cleanup or emergency actions taken to protect lives or property.

This article:

Disaster Aid for June Storms in South Dakota Tops $3.4 Million

Disaster Recovery Center to Open in Pine Ridge

PINE RIDGE, S.D. – The Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are establishing a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) for individuals who experience damage during the severe storms from May 8-29. The DRC will open Saturday, August 15 at 9:00 a.m. at the SuAnne Big Crow Recreational Center, 1 Positive Pl. – E HWY 82, Pine Ridge.

The DRC is set up for residents who would like to speak one-on-one to recovery representatives, but it’s not necessary to visit a center to receive disaster assistance. The fastest way to register with FEMA is by phone or online. Those impacted can call 1-800-621-3362 (TTY 1-800-462-7585) or go online at www.fema.gov or www.disasterassistance.gov. The registration line is open daily from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. until further notice. Individuals may also register by smart phone at m.fema.gov.

Even if residents previously registered with the tribe, with a voluntary agency, or provided damage reports they must still register with FEMA to access federal disaster assistance programs.

The DRC will be open daily from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. until further notice. Additional locations will be set up throughout the reservation. A schedule and more details on these locations will be released at a later date. In addition, The Oglala Sioux and FEMA will be providing transportation to and from the disaster recovery center from the Oglala District office every other hour starting Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Customer service representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will be at the centers to answer questions about SBA’s federal low-interest disaster loans and help business owners and residents complete their application.

FEMA Mitigation specialists are scheduled to be on hand at the DRC to provide information and answer questions about cost-effective rebuilding and repair techniques to reduce property damage in future disasters.

See the original article here:

Disaster Recovery Center to Open in Pine Ridge

Federal Aid Programs for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Main Content

Release date:

June 25, 2013

Release Number:

HQ-13-066 Factsheet

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama’s major disaster declaration issued for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Assistance for Tribal Governments Can Include as Required:

Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for removing debris from public areas and for emergency measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health. (Source: FEMA funded, Tribe administered.)

Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations engaged in community service activities. (Source: FEMA funded, Tribe administered.)

Payment of not more than 75 percent of the approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by tribal government to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters. (Source: FEMA funded, Tribe administered.)

How to Apply for Assistance:

Application procedures for the Tribal governments will be explained at a series of federal/Tribal applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials. Approved public repair projects are paid through the Tribe from funding provided by FEMA and other participating federal agencies.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema ; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fema and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.

Last Updated:

June 26, 2013 – 09:15

State/Tribal Government or Region:

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Related Disaster:

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Severe Storms and Flooding

From:

Federal Aid Programs for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe