South Dakota Flooding on Native American Reservations

Written by: Savannah Beauprez

The issue that I am going to address todays is the fact that there has been severe flooding in South Dakota on Native American Reservations. This flooding as resulted in at least 3 deaths and caused more than $3 million in damages to agricultural lands (Katz, 2019). In fact, this flooding on the reservations has escalated to humanitarian crisis (Katz, 2019). For over two weeks these tribes have been stranded and unable to get help due to the water-logged and muddy lands (Katz, 2019). The only way to access these lands is by boat, helicopter, or horse (Katz, 2019). Due to the problem of limited transportation to and from these lands many people are going unassisted.

The tribe lives in poverty and with the flooding it has only gotten worse. Those that are stuck out in the flooding have run out of clean drinking water and have been completely flooded out of their homes (Brown, 2019). The National American Heritage Association has been purchasing food, and donating/buying new clothes for these victims, but funding only covers about three week’s worth of groceries and is having quite a bit of trouble getting out to these tribes to help them (Brown, 2019).

This flooding not only has resulted in 3 deaths but also have trapped or hampered 2,000 people in these flood water (Nicholson, 2019). The blow of this disaster is setting back the recovery for the reservations by months and may be dealing a huge blow to their economy (Nicholson, 2019). The flooding has resulted in their lands being destroyed. Animals that they use for food, or transportation is trapped and unable to feed correctly due to the flooding in their fields. The agriculture is being destroyed too. The fields that they plant their crops are being washed out and destroyed, resulting in lost crops and profit.

This natural disaster has majorly impacted these tribes’ culture. This flooding has cut off water supplied to thousands of people, has swamped roads making the transportation from in and out of the reservation nearly impossible and also trapping people in their homes or forcing them out of their homes (Nicholson, 2019). To the tribe this flood is a disaster because they are already living in poverty. Not only has this flooding potentially destroy there way of life and making money it has also destroyed the agriculture. I say that it is destroying their agriculture and farming because the fields that they plant their crops are being washed out and destroyed, resulting in lost crops and profit. It has also impacted the animals that they use for food, or transportation are trapped and unable to feed correctly due to the flooding in their fields.

Their poverty is spiking up even more than it was. Before the tribe was flooded the resident that lived on the reservation live below the poverty level. In fact, 43% pf the resident lived below the poverty line (Katz, 2019). It is bound to go even lower with the flooding that has happened. 80 to 85% of the residents on the reservation our unemployed and the flooding has caused even more jobs to be lost (Brown, 2019). The flooding has also caused them to lose sacred areas to them because they are now unable to access these areas or these areas may be contaminated due to a munitions plant from 1942 to 1956 and its disposal of radioactive waste and other chemicals led to groundwater contamination, which may have been released due to the major flooding that has happened.

This problem is being resolved even as I write this blog. The South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has dispatched ATV’s, boat rescue teams and South Dakota National guards’ troops to the area to rescue and help the tribe members (Katz, 2019). Not only has the state been sending people to help, but they have also seen four 2,5000-gallon water tanks to ensure that the residents have clean drinking water (Katz, 2019). Not only is the governor of the of South Dakota is helping these tribes but the Government is too. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assessing the flooded areas and is also cleaning up contaminated sites that may pop up due to the flooding (Nicholson, 2019). Luckily the EPA have found no evidence that any hazardous contaminants were released (Nicholson, 2019).

 The government and local people have also leveed up the shores of the Missouri River with sandbags to decrease the amount of surging water from coming up from the river (Nicholson, 2019). This process was done by 140 volunteers who were committed to try and reduce the severe flooding and protect the different schools in the area (Nicholson, 2019). With the Government helping this may reduce the severity and loss of lives during this tragedy.  Not only can the help the people but they are able to fund the programs such as EPA to help the contamination of the waters and to rescue the citizens.

References

Brown, R. (2019, March 29). SD Flooding Causes Food, Water Shortage on Indian Reservations. Retrieved from Public News Service: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2019-03-29/native-american-issues/sd-flooding-causes-food-water-shortage-on-indian-reservations/a65942-1

Katz, B. (2019, March 26). Midwest Floods Lead to ‘Humanitarian Crisis’ on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Retrieved from Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/midwest-floods-lead-humanitarian-crisis-pine-ridge-indian-reservation-180971799/

Nicholson, B. (2019, March 27). Flooding hits South Dakota American Indian reservation hard. Retrieved from The News&Observers: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article228445364.html