Gov. Katie Hobbs was in northern Arizona this week, where Native American and rural communities are still reeling from severe flooding and tornadoes.
While touring the Nackard Pepsi bottling plant in Flagstaff on Thursday, Hobbs said she would meet with Navajo, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute leaders on Friday to discuss possibly unlocking more resources to address the flooding.
“We're prepared, if there's a necessity around emergency declarations, we're prepared to do that,” said Hobbs. “We've been in constant communication with emergency managers at the county level and at the tribal level, providing support where we can.”
She said it’s up to local jurisdictions like counties to request an emergency declaration at the state level. Navajo County asked Hobbs for such a declaration last week. An aide for the governor told KNAU she’s still considering the request.
If Hobbs affirms a county’s request for an emergency declaration, she can then elevate the issue further by asking for a presidential emergency or major disaster declaration at the federal level. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency would then evaluate the request and make a recommendation to President Trump.
At the same time, federally recognized tribal nations have their own path for disaster relief. Tribes would go straight to FEMA to ask for their own declarations, which sometimes provide cash and support for residents impacted by a disaster.
The Hopi Tribe declared a state of emergency due to flooding last week. According to the declaration, officials also plan to seek additional assistance on the state and federal levels.
A chapter leader in Rock Point on the Navajo Nation told KNAU on Wednesday that FEMA is conducting an initial assessment of damaged homes in the community.
The Navajo Nation had yet to request a disaster declaration from FEMA as of Thursday afternoon.
