FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell traveled to Durant, Oklahoma, inside the Choctaw Nation reservation this week, where she attended the National Advisory Council year-end meeting, toured the Choctaw Nation’s headquarters and participated in social dancing, showcasing the rich culture and history of the Choctaw people.
For the first time in FEMA’s history, a Tribal Nation hosted the annual council meeting, which held focused discussions on improving Nation-to-Nation relationships and supporting tribal sovereignty.
“The Choctaw Nation and Tribal Nations across Indian Country represent an important part of the emergency management enterprise and are critical partners in FEMA’s mission to help people before, during and after disaster,” said Administrator Criswell. “The National Advisory Council is made richer by their contributions, and it was an honor to have this year-end meeting hosted by a Tribal Nation, for the first time in FEMA’s history. We remain committed to working with the 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations, to break barriers and make preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters more accessible to all.”
The National Advisory Council advises the FEMA administrator on all aspects of emergency management, including preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation for disasters and national emergencies. Council members represent a substantive cross-section of officials, emergency managers, and emergency response providers from state, local, tribal and territorial governments, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations. Since its creation in 2006, the council has provided nearly 400 recommendations to FEMA on a variety of key emergency management topics.
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