By mid-March the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe had declared a state of Emergency, submitted a disaster declaration and relief request to the federal government, and activated the Tribal Emergency Operations Center. A FEMA Liaison Officer was in route to the Cape, and Director of Emergency Management Nelson Andrews Jr. began to execute his tribe’s emergency plan.

The halls of the tribal government center are silent, but essential work continues as the employees use laptops and cell phones from home. The Indian Health Services Clinic took steps to protect patients and staff; barring an emergency, the clinic is closed except for COVID-19 testing.

Having a robust plan in place put the Tribe at the front of the list for essential services. The Tribe carefully guarded its sovereignty and insisted on working with FEMA as a direct recipient of emergency assistance programs (rather than through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has been able to provide support to Native Americans in the surrounding communities and from neighboring tribes. The proactive approach ensured the Tribe was the first in the nation to receive direct federal assistance under the National Emergency Declaration.

Since those first days of the pandemic response in March, the Tribal Council, Emergency Management Department, Indian Health Services, and Food Services have continued to meet the essential needs of the community. These services include:

Drive-thru COVID-19 testing for any Native American and members of their households
Personal Protective Equipment for IHS staff and tribal members and those working in the health care industry
Community contact tracing – Conducted by IHS, and encouraged for all Tribal Members
Food Pantry support (with revised hours and social distancing measures)
Food delivery service for Elders through Lunch-and-Learn
Emergency mortgage and rent assistance through the Housing Department
Emergency housing for over a dozen homeless tribal members

Please sign up to receive email updates from the Emergency Management Department by sending an email to publicrelations@mwtribe-nsn.gov. These updates include current actions and initiatives and COVID-19 tracking numbers.

Director Andrews’ top objectives are to protect the safety and well-being of Tribal Members, visitors, and staff, and to provide resource support to the Tribal Community. The FEMA Liaison Officer, Adam Burpee, is supporting our efforts within the Emergency Operations Center and will remain integrated in our joint Tribal-FEMA response.

The best thing you can do is to continue social distancing. Stay Home, Stop the Spread, Save Lives.