Title: An overview of developing tribal emergency management in the USA

Authors: Robert S. Newsad

Addresses: U.S. Public Health Service, 425 5th Ave North, 1st Floor Cordell Hull Building, Nashville, TN 37243, USA

Abstract: As sovereign governments, American Indian and Alaska Native tribes are responsible for providing prevention, protection, response, and recovery for their members within the evolving Emergency Management (EM) environment in the USA. The current structure for the emergency response system in the USA does not fully embrace tribal sovereignty to allow tribes to maintain their government to government relationship with the federal government. This paper discusses unique issues affecting tribes in the USA and presents a general framework for use in developing tribal EM programmes in this environment.

Keywords: US tribes; American Indians; emergency management; tribal sovereignty; cultural sensitivity; USA; United States; Alaska Native tribes; emergency response.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2010.037013

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2010 Vol.7 No.3/4, pp.296 - 303

Received: 15 Oct 2009
Accepted: 03 Sep 2010
Published online: 21 Nov 2010 *

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