Tribal – Pilot Guidance Consultation Meeting

March 30, 2016 

10:35 a.m.

Presenter

George Vanderschmidt – Region 1, Recovery Division Deputy Director and
Bruce Brodoff – Region1, Tribal Liaison

Recorder of Minutes

Deborah Miller – Executive Assistant, Office of the Regional
Administrator

Attendees

Chief Brenda Commander – Holton Band of Maliseet Indians

Chief William Nicholas – Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township

Leslie Nicholas – Vice Chief, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township

Aaron Dana – Council member, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township

Alexander Nicholas III – Council member/Chief of Police, Passamaquoddy
tribe at Indian Township

Paul Downing – Emergency Management Planner, Passamaquoddy tribe at
Indian Township

Michael Hildreth – Emergency Planner, Penobscot Indian Nation

John Flewelling – Director of Maintenance, Houlton Band of Maliseet
Indians 

Linda Raymond – Council Member, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians

George Vanderschmidt:

You are our clients and we welcome your comments/feedback.

In front of you is the second draft of the Tribal Pilot Guidance and
today’s presentation

In the end this will be a regulation, a law that requires FEMA to work
with the tribes as savant nations with a specific set of rules very
different then how we work with the states

January 8 FEMA published this draft

All tribes received a letter from Administrator Fugate

567 Federally recognized tribes

2013 under the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act – Allowed Federally
recognized tribal governments to request a Federal Presidential
Declaration directly (first time), before only thru the governor/state

Since 2013 we have had 9 tribes request a Federal Declaration 

Going forward we want to have specific guidelines for the tribes

Basic Concept of a Major Disaster Declaration is the disaster goes
beyond the capability for the tribe to respond or recover 

Tribes can request on their own or tribes can go through the state
and/or both

Cost Share 75% Federal and 25% tribal.  President can waive or adjust
cost share 

Stafford Act recreated FEMA and there are many amendments to support
tribes

Last Monday we talked with the southern tribes to get comments/feedback

Mashpee Wampanoag in Mashpee, MA

Narraganset Indian Tribe

Mohican Tribe

Stafford Act (State, Local, Tribal) – you can request

Public Assistance – i.e., roads and bridges owned by the tribe

Individual Assistance 

Hazard migration

Two declarations

Emergency Declaration – i.e., shelter, cots, water, debris removal and
food (immediate)

Major Disaster Declaration – Beyond tribal and state capability to
recover, i.e., IA, permanent  work,

IA and PA assistance 

$33,000 is the cap for IA, 2016 – two subdivisions are

Household – 100% federally covered

Other needs, i.e., television, stove, furniture, wood, funeral, trauma
counseling 

Listing on page 5 for PA

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Requirement 

Tribal government must submit an approvable plan within 30 days of date
of declaration

You can request for an Time Extension 

FEMA cannot obligate money without this plans in place

Submit your comments by porthole, email

Changes from first daft to second draft

IA requested changes from tribes

Eligibility 

enrolled tribal members or non-enrolled member who may receive
assistance from tribe

Second draft – clarity from you the tribe, how do we identify who
should receive assistance

A list of names will have to be provided to FEMA from the tribes for
declaration

Second draft – changes from first draft on evaluation on damaged homes

FEMA spoke with Bruce Fitzgerald – Maine’s Emergency Manager about
attending this meeting and the decision is up to the Tribe to disperse
information from this meeting

Total vote from Tribe to not release minutes to Bruce Fitzgerald 

Questions

Chief Brenda Commander - out of the 9 tribal declarations did they
choose to go through with a Presidential Declaration request and how did
that go?

George – Yes, they did with some challenges because we did not have
this guidance and had to refer to the Stafford Act

Chief Brenda Commander – Can we submit written comments

Bruce – Yes, until April 7, 2016

William Nicholas - What or is their threshold?  How do we meet that?

George – We cannot consider a declaration for PA under $3,000.00,
based on cost effective/high administration cost.  This doesn’t mean
you can’t request a declaration.

Remember you can request under the tribal or through the state.

Tribes can come under the state as a sub-grantee 

Based on per capita each year for each state

Chief Brenda Commander – who has to approve these plans – Hazard
Mitigation

George – FEMA does

Linda Raymond – We service non-enrolled with medical and other
services, example widowers and children who live off the reservation we
would like them to be covered

George – So that I’m clear, when a declaration is declared the
tribes will provide the names of those who receives assistance?

FEMA will come back to you and ask if this person should receive
assistance or not

So you want a case by case on decision

Enrolled members living on a reservation or not is eligibly?  For
non-enrolled members we want to make sure that you want them covered

Linda Raymond – Yes

George and Bruce asked the group if this meeting could be shared with
Governor LaPage 

Tribe agree upon not sharing any information from today’s meeting with
the Governor

Bruce Brodoff – Suggested free courses at EMI starting in August

