Disaster Preparedness Topic for Oklahoma Tribe Gathering

Tribal officials are gathering this week in Shawnee, Okla., to discuss the best and newest procedures to prepare for disasters.

The Inter-Tribal Emergency Management Coalition Summit will be held at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort Tuesday through Thursday. The coalition was created in 2004 to share experiences and teacher disaster preparedness to Native American tribes in Oklahoma.

Linda Capps is vice-chairman of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She says the tribe’s jurisdiction was in the path of the devastating storms in May 2013. Because of that, the tribe has been on the front lines of storm recovery and is happy to host tribal representatives to discuss the best way to deal with catastrophic situations.

Topics to be discussed will include earthquakes preparedness, wildfire strategies and drought tools.