And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Update as of 11PM June 6th, 1999 As Reported by Turtle Island Native Network http://www.turtleisland.org Lakota Nation Picking up the Pieces--Killer Tornadoes Ploughed Through Pine Ridge Reservation. The Oglala Sioux are reeling after disaster struck on the weekend wiping out a large part of one of their communities.It is being described by tribal members as the worst they can recall.Tornadoes had touched down on the reservation many times over the years but nothing like what struck on Friday.Late Sunday night the skies were clear over the tribal offices where Bart Merdanian, tribal legislative liaison was keeping watch.He said earlier fears of more severe weather had eased a little.Merdanian felt confident all residents had been accounted for, as emergency workers including the Red Cross and National Guard helped to comfort community members who still carried the burden of trauma from the devastation.We are feeding the people,and they are staying in the Pine Ridge High School dormitories,Red Cloud School Gymnasium and the Loneman School gym too said Merdanian.He said one person died in the disaster,one hundred others were injured and one of them is in very serious condition.He said at last count,one hundred and thirty people were homeless.Besides the National Guard and Red Cross workers,the governor ordered in two hundred and fifty inmates from the state penitentiary to help clear away the rubble.Power lines were still down in the disaster-stricken community of Oglala,the hardest hit of several Sioux communities on the Pine Ridge Reservation.The governor quickly declared a state of emergency so immediate assistance was available,and federal workers are assesing the situation in advance of a likely disaster declaration by Washington.A state congressman expressed concern that there was not an early warning weather emergency siren to alert the residents of the impending danger on Friday.Tribal spokesman Bart Merdanian said,The storm hit all of a sudden.It ripped apart and tossed around double-wides...mobile homes.The old hospital siren was barely audible he said, and the one at the tribal police station did not work,for some unknown reason.Sunday afternoon,in an interview with Turtle Island Native Network,Oglala Sioux intertribal liaison Shawn Perkins said they were bracing for the possibility of more tornadoes and he was standing by for reports from the weather office.However, tornadoes touched down elsewhere in South Dakota late Sunday but spared the Lakota communities more stormy violence.Friday, six tornadoes smashed their way through the Pine Ridge Indian reservation communities of Oglala, Porcupine, Manderson and Kyle. One person was killed and dozens of people were left homeless. Oglala was practically wiped out, said Perkins who also is the Red Cross representative for the tribe.Six or seven more tornadoes swept through the area Saturday before emergency crews were able to complete their assessment of damage caused by Friday's deadly twister.Perkins said he has been told by the weather experts the community should brace itself for this kind of weather for a couple of more days.Dozens of people have spent a couple of nights either with friends or in a local school. Others are refusing to leave their basements,even though their homes were destroyed and there's just the foundation left,added Perkins.Rescue workers are still checking to see if all people have been accounted for,especially in the hills where it is believed some people have stayed during the storms.Because of the second wave of torandoes that struck Saturday,workers still haven't been able to reach the hill areas of the reservation.To provide immediate relief,Francine Redwillow has set up a donations and distribution centre at the Loneman School.The Red Cross emergency workers are on the scene and efforts are being made to ensure food and clothing gets to those people who refuse to leave their disaster-stricken homes.Perkins said experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived there quickly and are continuing to make their disaster assessment,but he believes Washington already has declared an emergency for the area.If you want to help,Shawn Perkins said the greatest need is for housing, furniture, clothing and those kinds of items. But for anyone who wants to donate money you can send it to the OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE, BOX H PINE RIDGE SOUTH DAKOTA ZIP 57770 Also, a Relief Fund has been established by a local radio and tv station - KELO - to help the Native American community at Oglala. If you want to make a pledge to them you can e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] your name, address and phone number and how you want to help.AS EARLIER REPORTED by TURTLE ISLAND NATIVE NETWORK--South Dakota Governor Calls for Emergency Declaration in Wake of Deadly Tornado at OglalaThe Governor of South Dakota is calling for a presidential disaster declaration for the community of Oglala where the Lakota Nation is coping with the aftermath of a deadly tornado.Friday night's tornadoes took one life-54 year old Jonas Belt died when tornadoes tore through his house.Search crews spent the day looking for three missing people, but by Saturday evening,every man,woman and child were accounted for.One hundred people are homeless.The twister touched down on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation at 6:30 mountain time Friday night.It leveled at least 15-homes in a 5-mile wide area.Survivors moved into Pine Ridge High School for shelter.The Red Cross provided food and assistance.South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow and the National Guard were quick to go there to Oglala to assess the damage and start cleaning up.The biggest need,Congressman John Thune says should be met by Capitol Hill.He spent the day in Oglala assessing damage.The Pine Ridge reservation does not have weather siren or a system to warn residents of severe weather.Thune says it's an issue the feds and tribes need to address.Thune says,the tribe obviously is a soverign government and they have a responsibility for a lot of things, but if for some reason whether its a funding issue or whatever,they don't have a warning system in place and we need to find out why.The whole house was vibrating,said Milo Sits Poor, who rode out the storm in a basement.A car that was parked out front started spinning in circles.Myrna Eagle Hawk said she hid under a mattress with her niece and nephew when the storm struck. The living room, one bedroom is demolished. The roof — there is no roof,she said.About 20 homes,a church and a church hall were destroyed and 50 houses were damaged, said Gene Abdallah, superintendent of the state Highway Patrol. Eight people were taken to a Rapid City hospital, and about 20 were treated in Pine Ridge.Violent thunderstorms, baseball-size hail, high winds and at least four tornados rolled across the southern part of the state Saturday.National Guard members were sent to Oglala and the town was evacuated for an hour Saturday night because of the bad weather.Gov. Bill Janklow flew to Oglala earlier in the day and said the most immediate need was finding temporary housing for people who need a place to sleep,eat and bathe.You'll have a lot of people that want to help, he told tribal officials.A Relief Fund has been established by a local radio and tv station - KELO - to help the Native American community at Oglala.If you want to make a pledge e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] your name, address and phone number and how you can help.----This is Turtle Island Native Network...Your Aboriginal news and information network. Turtle Island Native Network Your Aboriginal News and Information Network on the Internet http://www.turtleisland.org Winner - 1999 Aboriginal Media Arts Award. "Let's do it before we don't do it!" Tehaliwaskenhas - G.R.(Bob) Kennedy INFOCOM Management 1 - 1986 Glenidle Road, Sooke, BC V0S 1N0 Phone: (250) 642-0277 Fax: (250) 642-0278 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.turtleisland.org Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
