The Central Council of the Tlingit-Haida has raised more than $40,000 to help Haines families recover from the mudslides and floods unleashed by heavy rains earlier this month.
Council president Richard Peterson says tribes worked together to get equipment and resources to Haines — and that they were among the first to arrive.
Peterson says it offered help not just to tribal members but to the entire community.
“Our motto is, healthy tribes make healthy communities,” Peterson said. “And we’re all in this together, especially when you live in rural Alaska.”
Since the COVID-19 threat, tribes have been working hard to upgrade their emergency operations centers. The Central Council recently bought a shop in Juneau to store equipment and supplies for emergencies, which was a big help in the Haines response. Peterson says tribal governments also shared equipment and manpower.
“Nobody wants a disaster,” Peterson said. “My heart goes out to the community, but it was awesome for us that we were able to quickly respond and be able to provide some support.”
Peterson says a lot more help will be needed to help families in Haines recover from the damage and encourages people to keep donating to relief efforts.
