Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) recently initiated its Emergency Response Team to respond to the flooding happening in several Interior villages including Circle, Eagle, and Gwichyaa Zhee (Fort Yukon). TCC’s internal Emergency Response Team is comprised of TCC employees throughout the organization who work together to ensure that Tribes have support available when natural disasters occur in their community.
“TCC has always been willing to assist our tribes during disaster situations,” says Chief/Chairman Brian Ridley, TCC, “For years, TCC has been able to provide supplies and support to Interior villages during times of significant flooding. Our goal is to ensure the health and safety of those in our villages.”
TCC worked closely with Tribal leadership to assist Tribes in ensuring that their community members are safe while continuously monitoring ice conditions on the river system. The community of Circle experienced significant flooding that caused a community-wide power outage and serious damage to several structures. TCC assisted the community by providing bottled water, MREs, solar showers and portable generators. TCC’s Office of Environmental Health also sent maintenance technicians out to the community to work with the Circle Water Operator to repair and return their public water system to service.
Each year, TCC provides Tribes with information on flood preparedness – including details on evacuation planning, packing an emergency go-bag and small community and developing an emergency plan. You can learn more on our website at https://www.tananachiefs.org/flood-preparedness/.
Emergency Assistance
Emergency assistance for Tribal Members whose homes were damaged due to flooding is available through our Work Assistance Program. In order to qualify you will need to provide:
- A Completed Application
- Proof of Tribal Membership
- Proof of residency (Can be signed off by the Tribe)
Download the application at https://tinyurl.com/TCCfloodhelp
If you have questions, please feel free to call us at 907-452-8251 ext. 3390 or 3414
Keep in mind that several interior Tribes operate their own Welfare Assistance Programs such as Nulato, Northway, Gwichyaa Zhee (Fort Yukon), and Tanana. Residents of those communities are encouraged to contact their Tribe directly.