Udall Discusses Emergency Preparedness in Tribal Communities

Thank you very much Chairman Akaka and thank you also to Vice Chairman Barrasso for holding this timely hearing. As the Chairman knows my state of New Mexico has experienced an unprecedented fire season this year after months and months without rain and the actual numbers or are startling. The U.S. Forest Service calls this the driest year in a 117 years. They've been keeping numbers for 117 years. They've never seen anything this dry. The largest fire in the state’s history- the Las Conchas fire- still burning and after almost a month, is only eighty percent contained The fire has burned more than 160,000 acres That's more 244 square miles of Forest Service, tribal, private, DOE and BIA land and cost almost 45 $45 million to date. the Las Conchas fire has burned over one hundred homes and other structures hundreds of sacred sites and damaged natural resources. the Jemez mountains historically burned completely in a healthy 30 to 40-year cycle with fires clearing out the underbrush and debris below tall ponderosa pine stands, but because of decades of forest fire suppression. Some of that dating back 100-years or more the forests of the Jemez Mountains to become unhealthy filled with fuel and Overcrowded with trees. Much of the Las Conchas fire was a catastrophic crown fire. The kind of fire that leaves nothing but Ash and vitrified Impermeable soil behind. Now as the New Mexico monsoon season begins, the threat of flooding debris flows and mudslides are threatening communities below the burnt watersheds. Many of these communities are Native American communities. One of these communities is the Santa Clara Pueblo, and I look forward to our Santa Clara Governor, Governor Walter Dasheno speaking to the committee during the second panel about his tribe's experiences in efforts to protect homes and sacred sites. Over 16,600 16,600 acres of Santa Clara land was burned by the Las Conchas fire in an intensely hot crown fire. Much of the pueblo’s forest was burned, and the fire came within miles of the Santa Clara village. Santa Clara's excellent fire crews help throughout the fire and was on the front lines protecting their land and other federal and private land. When the town of Los Alamos was evacuated the pueblo of Santa Clara and other tribes nearby opened their doors and facilities to the evacuees. But as the fire dies down the work is just getting started for Santa Clara and other pueblos already there've been several mud slides in Santa Clara canyon and the debris ponds, their fishing ponds are filling with the debris. The Army Corps of Engineers help provide 47,000 sandbags to Help protect structures and the interagency Burn Area Emergency Response Teams continue to assess the Canyon and do emergency treatments. These interagency BEAR teams continue to assess the threats of erosion and flooding and are taking emergency actions including: receiving severely burned Watersheds, creating erosion barriers, removing debris including dead trees, cleaning and lining culverts, creating debris ponds, putting in floating booms to catch ash in the Reservoirs, road and culver repair and bridge removal. There's a lot of work and coordination going into these teams and I hope the governor Dasheno can shed some light on how that process is moving Forward when he testifies. Again I thank Chairman Akaka for holding this hearing and inviting Santa Clara’s strong leader Governor Walter Dasheno to come and give testimony. I would also, Chairman Akaka, Ask Permission- there many other pueblos that have been impacted by this and I know you generally welcome written testimony, that they might be able to give and submit written testimony on the impacts of disasters fires with them. So thank you very much again for holding this hearing and I look forward to hearing all the witnesses.