2025 Regional Tribal Emergency Management Summit

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Highlights from 2025

The third annual Regional Tribal Emergency Management Summit took place from May 27-29, 2024, in Rapid City, South Dakota. The 100 participants included tribal emergency managers and personnel engaged in emergency response from Tribes in Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Professionals with 15 tribal affiliations gathered to make collective progress on topics including disaster response, leadership, search and rescue, and access to resources.

Want to see overviews and resources from previous summits?

2025 Session Overviews & Resources

We recorded the full presentation/workshop for four of our sessions this year. Scroll or click here to see summaries of the the other sessions held at this year’s event.


Leadership during uncertainty

In this session, participants explored strategies to encourage leaders to change challenging times into opportunities. Topics included; Redefining Success, Work-Life Balance Myths, and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome. This session provided strategies for the Big Three of Prioritization and discussed Why Narratives Matter. Participants left recharged, renewed, and ready to tackle whatever comes next!

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Housing solutions for hazard risk reduction

Staff from Headwaters Economics led an interactive session to discuss ideas about practical and affordable ways to improve Tribal housing. Topics included weatherization and disaster risk reduction practices that can protect homes from water, wind, and wildfires. This session included opportunities to identify priority projects and partnerships for near-term implementation.

Guide to Floodplain management

This session provided an overview of the new “Emergency Manager’s Quick Guide To Floodplain Management”, which introduces basic concepts of floodplain management and flood mitigation. Topics included understanding flood risk, how to read a flood map, basic floodplain management regulations, and examples of flood protection and potential funding sources.

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Housing solutions for hazard risk reduction

This session covered steps to take when a relative goes missing, how to navigate the justice system, and support for survivors and families. The presenters shared search and rescue resources and insights about how to adapt search and rescue criteria to fit cultural sensitivities along with our MMIP crisis.

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Tribal Emergency Leader Panel

This panel discussed Traditional Indigenous knowledge and disaster resilience leadership. The panelists shared stories of cultural kinship and healing relationships, grassroots Tribal programs, collective approaches to learning, volunteer building, and training teams of self-suficient responders within Tribal Nations to respond during disasters. These panelists are emergency managers who have dedicated their lives’ work to honoring and protecting the people, unci maka, mni wakan, wamanica/wamakaskan, taku wakan skan skan all beings.

Below you will find overviews of the other sessions along with links to resources from this year’s summit.


Building resilient youth in our communities

Attendees gained knowledge of effective strategies to empower youth with leadership skills and emergency preparedness training, ensuring they play an active role and stay safe from predatory behavior during emergencies. Participants learned how to incorporate culturally relevant approaches to engage youth in disaster planning, fostering stronger intergenerational connections and knowledge-sharing.

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GIS in Indian Country: Resources & Guidance

This session provided an overview of GIS in Indian Country, including how other Tribal Communities are applying GIS Technologies. The session covered GIS resources available to Tribal Governments including access to software, technical assistance, and training opportunities. Garet gave guidance on best practices to use GIS when responding to emergencies and pre-disaster planning in Indian Country.

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Sovereign Data, Stronger Immunity: The Fight Against Outbreaks

Learn about the role of data and tribal data sovereignty in public health and its impact on recent and emerging disease outbreaks.

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Engaging with the Red Cross

In this session, attendees gained insights into the Red Cross programs and resources that are available to them. They learned how to access Red Cross resources for all ages, for veterans, and after disasters. Attendees learned how to request Red Cross trainings for their community members.

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Structural Fires: Are you prepared?

This session helped attendees gain knowledge to better equip and plan for structural fires. The session showed how fast structural fires can spread in newer homes versus older homes, and the potential for structural fire injuries and fatalities.

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Healing from Trauma and Resilience Through Culture and Strength 

Traumatic stress plays a role in our lives and the work we do. This session examined healing-informed approaches to wellness and examine western approaches to healing along traditional Indigenous healing methods. Participants learned how they can mitigate the impacts of mental health disparities on individuals and communities.

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Fourth annual

Regional Tribal Emergency Management Summit

When: May, 2026
Where: TBD, South Dakota
Cost: Free (Limited scholarships available for lodging)

All Tribal Emergency Managers and personnel engaged in emergency response for Tribes across Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa are invited to join Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board, Partnership With Native Americans, Headwaters Economics, and the Association of State Floodplain Managers for our fourth annual Tribal Emergency Management Summit.

Let us know if you’re interested.

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Host organization contributions to the Summit were made possible by generous support from Indian Health Service (IHS Cooperative Agreement U1B1IHS0007), USDA Forest Service,  Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and Feeding America Natives Prepared Project.