Tribal governments perform a variety of essential functions and provide a myriad of essential services that support their members. They also have many tribal assets to protect. Think about what would happen if the government is disrupted by a major natural or man-made disaster. For example, suppose heavy rains fall for days, flooding creeks and rivers on tribal land to record levels. As the waters rise, the Tribal Council issues an evacuation order. The tribal police, with assistance from other tribal departments, carry out the evacuation. All tribal members, animals,
and visitors reach safety before the flood crests. At flood peak, only one road remains open from the reservation, the road from the casino to the main highway. The casino is dry. But the Tribal Council office building is flooded. Contamination from floodwater creates health and other hazards. The Council building cannot be used until after an extensive cleanup. The cleanup will take up to 30 days. Tribal members and assets will suffer if the tribal government cannot operate. Inside the building are all tribal records, the tribe���s Public Works, Human Resources, and Information Technology offices.
Financial, employment, legal, and business records that survived the flood could be unavailable until the building reopens. Vital tribal records such as birth, enrollment, and ancestral information may be on paper. Flood waters can soak, contaminate, and destroy vital records on paper and on CDs. Many services are essential. For example, dialysis treatment needs to continue uninterrupted; patients need to be located and transported. Alternate facilities need to be available to tribal members. Another example is security for visitors and employees at the casino. Security staff may need to be supplemented with temporary help. Shortly after the evacuation the Tribal Chair becomes unavailable. The Council needs to make decisions and keep the government in operation. The Council will need a place to meet until the Council building reopens. The displaced departments also need a workplace with telephones, computers, and communications equipment. To continue performing essential functions and providing essential services, the Council and tribal departments need to communicate with one another and with neighboring tribes also dealing with flood damage. Members need information. People will want to know when they can safely return home. They may need health and safety advice. Tribal services may be in different locations than where normally located. Tribal government employees will need instructions. The loss of office space means that everyone cannot continue usual work. Fortunately, in this scenario the tribe was prepared. Three years earlier a fire destroyed some of the tribe���s computer equipment and files. The recovery wasn���t easy. Financial and business records had to be slowly and carefully reconstructed. Some were lost. At this point, the tribal government began planning to prevent future disruptions. The tribe���s Continuity of Operations and Emergency Operations Plans identified flooding as a likely hazard. The plans showed that the basement and first floor of the Council building could be inundated by flood waters up to extremely high flood levels. All records and equipment subject to water damage were moved from the basement and first floor to higher floors. Backup copies of vital records were created, continually updated, and stored at a building in an adjacent county which provided space according to a mutual agreement with the tribal government. Written procedures laid out succession and delegation of authorities of the Tribal Chair, Tribal Council, and department heads. The Vice-Chair assumed all of the Chair���s authority and
decision making responsibilities. The Tribal Council named the adjacent county site as an alternate location for tribal government operations. Phones, computers, and workspace were in place for critical employees. Backup records allowed seamless operation. The tribal health department identified and tracked dialysis patients, and matched them with transportation and clinics until normal operations could resume.
Some employees served as disaster workers, while others worked from home. All had received instruction and training in their temporary assignments prior to the flood.
Public works and temporary disaster employees handed out leaflets with information and
instructions for members. Tribes must be prepared for major disasters. How will your tribal government cope if an emergency occurs? Could you continue to serve your members? Continuity planning is a method to ensure your tribe���s ability to continue its essential functions. In this example, continuity planning enabled this tribal government to protect its people and recover from the flood with little financial loss or disruption of the essential functions. Is your
tribe prepared?