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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Begaye

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1-26-06

1/27/06 HB 245

SHORT TITLE Crownpoint & Shiprock Emergency Field Service

SB

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$600.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 245 appropriates $600 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs

Department for the purpose of operating expenses and equipment for emergency management

field services in Crownpoint and Shiprock in FY07 and subsequent years.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $600 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY07 shall not revert

to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Indian Affairs Department contributed the following.

This emergency Management project with the Navajo Nation has been funded through the State

of New Mexico since 1996. With a Joint Powers Agreement between the State of New Mexico,

through the Indian Affairs Department, and the Navajo Nation, the two Navajo Emergency

Management Offices (Crownpoint and Shiprock) serve 53 chapters, located in San Juan and

McKinley counties. In addition, oversight is given in portions of the adjacent counties of Cibola,

Sandoval, Rio Arriba, Bernalillo, and Socorro.

House Bill 245 – Page

2

The Navajo Nation is one of the largest tribes in the Nation with approximately 300,000

members and a reservation encompassing nearly 26,000 square miles. In the New Mexico

portion of the Navajo Nation, the population of the Navajo Nation is 69,524 (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2000). The Navajo Nation Emergency Management (NNEM) project goals are to

promote the saving of lives and protection of property during emergencies and disasters. In the

wake of the 9-11 events, NNEM have developed a complex Emergency Management Plan and

have established a local chapter emergency management system – ALERT [authorized local

emergency response teams]. There are six full time service and support staff on call 24 hours a

day. This department has planned response and recovery, training and reservation of equipment

to address emergencies, and works with the 53 New Mexico Navajo Chapters. The Emergency

Management plan addresses the duties, responsibilities, tasks, and interfaces between the Navajo

Nation, Federal, State, Counties, and local chapter governments in order to respond to

emergencies and disasters. In addition to working with counties and the federal government, the

Department coordinates health and human safety issues, directly or indirectly, with the Navajo

Department of Public Safety, Navajo Division of Health, Community Health Representatives of

the 53 Chapters, numerous schools, and the Navajo and Albuquerque Area Indian Health

Services for health related matters that arise from an emergency, i.e., pandemic flu, bioterrorism.

However, poor infrastructure, lack of funding for staff and equipment, and the lack of economic

development in rural areas of the Navajo reservation make this effort a difficult task.

(Information from Navajo Department of Emergency Management at: www.navajo911.com)

Due to its location, geological features and critical facilities, the Navajo Nation is vulnerable to

the damaging affects of natural, technological, and national security hazards. Incidents can vary

in scope and intensity, from small local emergencies with minimal damage to multi-County

disasters with extensive devastation and loss of life. These hazards necessitate a comprehensive

mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery program. An analysis based on a 2003

Homeland Security (HLM) Hazard Assessment identified major hazards which threaten local

and regional Navajo communities including:

•

Natural Hazards: wildfires, drought, floods, flash floods, severe winter storms, tornados,

lightning, hailstorms, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, volcanic activity, disease

outbreak, crop and livestock infestation

•

Technological or Human Caused Hazards: hazardous material accidents or release,

power failure, urban fire, transport incident (air/rail), radiological and dam failure.

•

National Security Hazards: civil disorder, international and domestic terrorism,

chemical/biological, conflict, and attack.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

Project performance submitted by the Navajo Nation Emergency Management is defined by their

project plan and includes performance measure by quarters. Performance measures include:

Training, presentations, community awareness on environmental and disaster preparedness;

ALERT chapter training of local personnel, direct food, burnout, natural disaster, mass care

assistance to families, evacuees; and assessments.

Included in the performance measures is establishment of inter-operable communication with

counties and state entities as well as the use of global positioning system capabilities for remote

areas. The performance measures are consistent with federal FEMA guidelines and

recommendations for tribal emergency management departments.

MW/nt:yr