Letter to the Hon. Donald Trump, President - Disaster Declaration to Help Pueblo of Acoma Recover from October Storms

Letter

December 5, 2017

The Honorable Donald Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump:

We respectfully request that you take prompt action on Pueblo of Acoma Governor Kurt Riley's request for a major disaster declaration for severe weather and flooding that occurred in the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico, between October 4th through 6th, 2017.

This severe storm caused extreme damage to tribal infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and sewer lines. Furthermore, the piled-up debris and wreckage created treacherous driving conditions along 10 miles of roads and bridges, isolating parts of the Pueblo lands from the rest of the territory. These conditions directly impacted the everyday lives of the Pueblo's community members, including individuals who were looking to gather firewood to heat their homes, and cattle farmers who were trying to ensure grazing areas were sufficient for their cattle needs.

Native communities deserve full and complete protection of their resources, land, and livelihoods. Recovering from this incident will require a full and coordinated approach. We appreciate your past responsiveness to the State of New Mexico when our communities have sought federal disaster assistance, and thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Tom Udall
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich
U.S. Representative Steve Pearce
U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján
U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham