READY?

 IS YOUR TRIBE

Prepare For Emergencies In Tribal Nations

www.ready.gov

photo by Rose Whitehair

Your strong leadership is key in raising the importance 

of individual and community readiness that supports a 

comprehensive tribal emergency management system. 

Individual preparedness and community preparedness are 

both essential to protect the people and natural resources 

of your tribe or village. Good planning now can decrease 

fear, reduce losses, and speed recovery efforts.

After preparing your community for possible 

emergencies, take the next step and get involved with 

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). 

CERT educates people about disaster preparedness for 

hazards that may impact their area and trains them in 

basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light 

search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical 

operations. Go to www.citzencorps.gov/cert/ for more 

information and to get involved. 

For more details about disaster planning, 

visit ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY
Ready Indian Country

Join the Campaign!

Ready Indian Country is FEMA’s campaign to encourage tribal

communities and Alaska Native villages to prepare for disasters.

Is your tribe on board? Ready Indian Country asks households

to do three key things:

•	 Make a family communications plan

•	 Get an emergency supply kit

•	 Be informed about the different types of emergencies that

could occur, the appropriate responses, and where to get

vital information during emergencies

At ready.gov you will find posters,

brochures, and public service

announcements that you can use

to increase awareness throughout

your tribe or village. You can also

access additional resources that

help businesses to be prepared

and help educate children. You

and your tribe can lead the way

with awareness, outreach, and

critical information.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1.	 Whatis the status of yourtribe’s or village’s emergency

management system?

2.	 Which tribal leaders and staff members have taken

FEMA training courses? Is additional training needed?

3.	 What steps are being taken to educate tribal families

and businesses about the need to prepare for

emergencies?

4.	 Are coordination agreements with state and regional

authorities in place and up to date? Does the tribe

need an emergency mitigation plan or a FEMA-tribal

agreement?

5.	 Do tribal leaders regularly discuss emergency

preparedness issues?

6.	 What is your community’s preparedness outreach

strategy?

Go to www.ready.gov for links,

materials, and resources

Protect your Tribe with No-Cost Training 

FEMA provides no-cost training for tribal leaders, emergency planners, 

first responders, and others. The following courses are offered at FEMA’s 

Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD.

•	 Emergency Management Framework for Tribal Governments

(E580) provides a basic understanding of emergency management

principles and how those principles can be used to help develop

and implement emergency management systems.

•	 Emergency Management Operations for Tribal Governments (E581)

helps tribal officials develop organizational structures, operational

procedures, and resources for effective emergency management

operations.

•	 Mitigation for Tribal Officials (E344) covers FEMA’s disaster

mitigation programs, tribal mitigation opportunities, and examples

of mitigation success.

FEMA also offers an array of 

additional online and field courses 

for emergency planners, first 

responders, school administrators, 

and others who may play a role in 

your tribe’s emergency response. 

Information and registration for all 

courses is found at http://training.

fema.gov.

Your Tribal Liaison

There is a FEMA Tribal Liaison for each region of Indian Country. A Tribal 

Liaison will be part of the response team if a federally declared disaster 

impacts your tribe or village. Tribal Liaisons are a great resource and 

can answer questions and provide technical assistance. They are the 

informational gateway to FEMA programs and funding opportunities 

to support disaster mitigation and emergency planning. Tribal Liaisons 

can be reached through FEMA’s Intergovernmental Affairs office. 

Please email ready@dhs.gov for specific information.

THINK ABOUT THIS

The time is now to review your tribe’s or village’s emergency 

communications plans. Although Internet access may be unreliable 

in many tribal areas, cell phone coverage is common. Consider 

setting up a tribal Twitter account and encouraging tribal members 

to become followers. They can connect their account to their cell 

phone and receive text updates. Along with local radio and television 

(if available), Twitter may prove very useful for communicating 

timely messages.