Dianna Hunt
ICT
President Joe Biden has issued an emergency disaster declaration for the Seminole Tribe of Florida for recovery and relief efforts from damage wrought by Hurricane Milton, which brought rain, tornadoes, flooding and high winds as it moved across Central Florida after making landfall late Wednesday.
The declaration, released Tuesday, Oct. 8, will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts with the tribe and will provide funding to help with recovery, according to the declaration.
SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE TODAY.
It is the fourth emergency declaration for the Seminole Tribe in the last four years, including declarations for hurricanes Nicole and Ian in 2022 and for the pandemic from 2020-2023.
A statement from the White House said that Biden administration officials had also been in touch with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the only other federally recognized tribe in the state. The tribe had not received a disaster declaration as of Thursday, though the tribe did receive a declaration in 2022 for Hurricane Nicole.
Both Seminole and Miccosukee lands were in the path of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall from the Gulf of Mexico south of Tampa, Florida, and quickly moved across the center of the state before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean.
The extent of the damage to the tribal areas has not been clear, though news reports indicated a tornado was spotted near the Miccosukee Service Plaza, a popular stop for food, bathrooms, and gas on the highway that stretches from Miami to Naples.
The Miccosukee closed tribal offices as the storm approached, but the Miccosukee Casino and Resort remained open, according to reports on social media. Miccosukee Indian Village posted on social media that it would reopen on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress posted on Instagram Thursday afternoon that tribal offices would reopen Friday before closing again on Monday, Oct. 14, for the federal holiday, Indigenous Peoples Day.
“Everybody back to work,” Cypress posted Thursday afternoon. “Then 3 day weekend.”
The Miccosukee, based in the middle of the Florida Everglades, were hard hit by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, when nearly 90 percent of the homes there were destroyed. They were spared damage from Hurricane Ian, and officials instead turned out to help others with recovery efforts.
Damages from Hurricane Milton were unclear for the Seminole Tribe, though FEMA documents noted the disaster declaration came in response to a request from the chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Marcellus Osceola Jr.
Hurricane Milton moved quickly through Florida after making landfall, but left at least six people dead and millions without power amid widespread flooding. The latest storm came through the state before many residents had a chance to clean up from Hurricane Helene, which came ashore Sept. 26 near Perry, Florida.
Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.
