NHBP Named First StormReady Native American Tribe in Michigan

NHBP Emergency Manager James Zoss, Grand Rapids National Weather Service StormReady Program Coordinator and Meteorologist Nathan Jeruzel, and NHBP Tribal Council Chairperson Jamie Stuck, Vice Chairperson Dorie Rios, Secretary Nancy Smit, Treasurer Dr. Jeff Chivis and Sergeant-At-Arms Homer A. Mandoka.

Published November 7, 2019

FULTON, Mich. —The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) has been named the first StormReady Native American tribe in the state of Michigan. This initiative to achieve StormReady status, led by the NHBP Tribal Emergency Preparedness Committee and Tribal Council Sergeant-At-Arms Homer A. Mandoka, was completed in October, resulting in NHBP being the first Native American tribe in the state to become StormReady, and the second tribe in the region to receive this designation.

“NHBP is proud to have earned the designation as the first StormReady tribe in the state of Michigan,” said NHBP Tribal Council Chairperson Jamie Stuck. “This accomplishment will help the tribe achieve our strategic plan vision of protecting and promoting the well-being of the NHBP tribal community for the next seven generations.”

The StormReady program helps arm communities across the country with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property before, during and after weather-related events. The program encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations by providing emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations.

To achieve the status of StormReady, NHBP met the following criteria:

• Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
• Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts, and to alert the public
• Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
• Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
• Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises

“The National Weather Service recognizes NHBP for improving the timeliness and effectiveness of hazardous-weather warnings. The Tribe is diligent and its proactive approach to increase communication and preparedness will ensure system-wide protections,” said NHBP Tribal Council Sergeant-At-Arms Homer A. Mandoka, who also chairs the Tribal Emergency Preparedness Committee. “The StormReady achievement is our commitment to preserve life on the Pine Creek Indian Reservation. It takes passion and dedication to train individuals how to act and when to react under hazardous warnings. I will like to commend Tribal Emergency Manager Jim Zoss, Director of Communications Judi Henckel, and fellow committee members Dawn Irwin, Al TenBrink Jr, Brian Chivis, Dan Green, Ben Tenney, Carter Bright, Nicole Edson and Bret Miller.”