A plan to protect people, homes, water, and culture
Fort McDermitt faces real hazards: wildfire that can reach homes in minutes, aging water lines, dangerous heat and cold, and drought that stresses wells and rangeland. This plan looks at each hazard honestly, using the community's own history and knowledge, and lays out practical projects to reduce the harm before it happens.
A FEMA-approved plan also unlocks money. Once adopted by the Tribal Council and approved by FEMA, the Tribe becomes eligible for federal hazard mitigation grants that can pay for the projects inside it.
The plan was built with the community: a hazard survey, site visits, Tribal Council presentations, and conversations with elders and department staff shaped what you see here.
What threatens Fort McDermitt most
Every hazard was scored 0 to 1 using twelve factors, from probability and health impacts to cultural wellbeing and recovery cost. Three water-related hazards are assessed together as one, and extreme cold is assessed with severe winter storms, because they share the same causes and the same solutions.
Why wildfire is first: all 194 structures on the Reservation are directly exposed, and the USDA rates the community's wildfire risk higher than 97 percent of communities in the United States. Mitigation actions were developed for the top 13 hazards; mass movement and dam breach scored below the action threshold.
Five goals, 46 actions
With special care for elders, children, and those with medical needs.
Including traditional ecological knowledge and the lands that buffer hazards.
Disaster-resistant homes, reliable water, backup power, open roads.
Protect significant sites, traditional plants, and cultural practices.
Trained staff, working partnerships, and plans that hold up in a crisis.
A few of the flagship projects
WF-01Defensible space and home hardening around every homeWQ-01Assess and rebuild the aging water distribution systemWQ-02Continuous automated water treatment, so boil notices become rareEH-01A designated cooling center and heat emergency planWS-01An emergency warming center with backup power, building on wood for eldersDR-02Well rehabilitation and groundwater monitoringDC-02Youth prevention and cultural reconnection programsIN-03An emergency notification system that reaches every householdThe full catalog of 46 actions, each with lead department, timing, cost estimate, funding sources, and expected benefit to the Tribe, is in the Mitigation Strategy section of the full plan.
What it costs and who can pay for it
Every action carries a planning-level cost band, so the Tribe can match projects to the right grants:
| Band | Range | Typical work |
|---|---|---|
| A | Under $10,000 | Plans, training, outreach, small equipment |
| B | $10,000 to $50,000 | Small projects, equipment, assessments |
| C | $50,000 to $150,000 | Mid-sized projects, multi-year programs |
| D | $150,000 to $500,000 | Larger capital projects and facility upgrades |
| E | $500,000 to $1 million | Major projects at moderate scale |
| F | Over $1 million | Major construction and watershed-scale programs |
Likely funding sources named in the plan include FEMA hazard mitigation grants (BRIC and HMGP), BIA programs, IHS and EPA water funding, LIHEAP, and HUD Indian Housing Block Grants. Actions are sequenced across the five years: Year 1 builds core plans and quick protections, short-term actions follow scoping and partnerships, and medium-term actions carry the sustained programs.
Adoption path: Tribal Council resolution, then submission to FEMA Region 9 for approval, then five years of implementation with an update due in 2031.
This is a draft. Your input shapes the final plan.
The questionnaire takes about four minutes, and we are asking for your view on specific choices in the plan: