Emergency Preparedness

Emergency preparedness is one of the most important areas for collaboration between tribes and public health officials. Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from a disaster requires tribal, state, and local governments to coordinate responses and share resources. Public health needs are likely to cross-jurisdictional boundaries and tribes have resources, such as tribal clinics, that can help meet the needs of the larger community, particularly in rural areas.

Establish Formal Mutual Aid Agreements

One key is to start planning before an emergency occurs. See this example of how regions in Washington State negotiated for mutual aid on Washington state process.

Key lessons included:

  • The process is as valuable as the product
  • Trust is key and history is always in the room
  • Important factors are: good meeting facilitation, state government support, committed leadership, and lawyers to provide technical expertise early in the process
H1N1 immunization drive-through clinic

Photo of H1N1 immunization drive-through clinic. Photo courtesy of Del Ostenberg,Colville Indian Reservation.

In the past, tribal populations in the Northwest were devastated by pandemics. To ensure that this loss of life does not happen again, Northwest tribes formed important partnerships so that they will be ready to protect their communities from public health threats.

Train Together

Emergency preparedness exercises provide an opportunity for communities to come together, as well as improve preparedness. Explore one example from Washington state where the Shoalwater Bay Tribe worked with local public service departments to create a tsunami awareness and health walk along the evacuation route.

Learn About Legal Issues

Legal issues in tribal emergency preparedness can be complex. Cross-jurisdictional coordination, the disaster declaration process, and other legal preparedness concerns are all issues that tribal nations face when preparing for disasters. This series of webinars helps inform its audience about about the important considerations to better resolve funding and jurisdictional issues prior to an emergency so that they are better able to respond and recover from a disaster.

Access training modules through the tribal legal preparedness project at the University of Pittsburgh.