Choctaw Nation hosts FEMA’s National Advisory Council biannual meeting
DURANT, Okla. (KXII) -A lot of first for FEMA as the National Advisory Council or NAC holds it’s biannual meeting at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Headquarters.
Being the first FEMA NAC conference held on tribal land and the first to hold a brand new position with FEMA.
Kelbie Kennedy, FEMA’s National Tribal Affairs Advocate said, “I was recently sworn in as the first ever Tribal Political Appointee in FEMA history and in the history of the Department of Homeland Security.”
FEMA is the federal agency that responds to natural disasters.
“This is my first trip here on behalf of FEMA and I’m so excited to be back in Oklahoma,” Kennedy added.
Kennedy, who is a proud Choctaw Member, will advocate for tribal needs in the event of a disaster and help bridge the communication between tribal members and FEMA.
Jeff Hansen, Choctaw Nation’s Director of Community Protection is adding a new title to his name.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswel said, “We just appointed Jeff Hansen as the Chair of the NAC, the first time we’ve had a tribal member serve in that role, so very historic day for us.”
FEMA’s NAC consists of members appointed by Criswel, “they make recommendations to me for ways that we continue to improve the way we deliver our programs.”
A part of Wednesday’s meeting, tribal leaders and emergency managers expressed their concerns on disaster response issues and how it affect the tribe.
“Tribal nations are different, there’s 574 federally recognized tribes across this country, each of their needs and capacity in the area of emergency management and quite frankly public safety in any kind of field is different and distinct,” Kennedy said.
Recommendations made Wednesday will eventually make their way to Washington, D.C.
“We’ve seen FEMA take up some of these recommendations and make some very dramatic improvements, speeding up the process and so the work that this group does is very important,” Hansen said.
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