South Dakota’s 3-man, all-Republican congressional delegation has written President Joe Biden in support of requests from the Oglala Sioux and Rosebud Sioux tribes for a presidential disaster declaration covering last month’s winter storms.
The storms from Dec 12-26 left 6 people dead on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations with both tribes still struggling to reopen roads and pay for repairs and emergency expenses.
In their letter, Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds and Representative Dusty Johnson praised the tribal response to the storm, saying their emergency operations “reduced the storms’ impact and accelerated the recovery of tribal communities.”
They go on to write, though, that “despite these efforts, a number of tribal members remained trapped in their homes and were unable to access necessary supplies.”
Thune, Rounds, and Johnson reminded the president that federally recognized Native American tribes can directly request an emergency declaration from the President through a FEMA Regional Administrator, which has been done.
Both the Oglala Sioux and Rosebud Sioux tribes are asking for the declaration to address emergency costs and damages to assist their recovery.
Tribal leaders say much of the devastation from the storms could have been prevented if there had been more resources to assist people who were stranded and blocked from access to medical and heating supplies.