Update

BREAKING HURRICANE NEWS

Shinnecock Indian Nation Survives Hurricane on Long Island

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Currents. Discussion »

SHINNECOCK TRIBE ON LONG ISLAND - Hurricane Irene, the deadly storm that killed 22 and 5 million without electrical power, along the East Coast, fortunately did little damage to the Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island, New York.

Middle Gate Road Entrance to Reservation after Irene

“We had some flooding, some trees down, but no major damage,”

said Beverly Jensen, communications director for the Tribe.

“Some of our members did lose their power, but overall we are okay.”

Hill Street Entrance to Reservation

"The winds were high on Saturday night and I worried about the big oak trees in my yard falling on our home," commented Jensen.

The Tribe collaborated with several federal agencies in preparation of the hurricane, such as Department of Homeland Security and Indian Health Services. On Friday, the Tribe's Emergency Management Team posted the "FEMA: Assemble a Disaster Kit" online for their tribal members.

Overall on Long Island, at least 471,000 people lost power, and the outages caused "several" hospitals to lose power, Michael Hervey, chief operating officer of Long Island Power Authority, said on a conference call on Sunday morning.

"We have a lot of old-timers who just are not going to leave their homes unless they have to," said Tribal Chairman Randy King to the Native News Network early Saturday evening.

"The majority of our reservation is at sea level, so when the rains come, we will get water," King continued.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe that gained its recognition October 2010. The Shnnecock Indian Nation is located on the East End of Long Island adjacent to the town of Southampton.

Chairman King said that tribal members are able to seek shelter about five miles from the reservation where there is community center ready with cots, water and generators.

In the 1938, two Shinnecock women lost their lives when they were swept away by a wave during the hurricane that ravaged New York.

Up the coast in Uncasville, Connecticut, the Mohegan Sun Casino a representative of the casino said though there were interruptions of power outages, the casino is up and running. Mohegan Sun is owned by the Mohegan Tribe.

At the Foxwood Casino and Resort - MGM at Foxwoods near Mashantucket, Connecticut, the reservation center is closed until 10 am Monday and a recorded message said there was limited activity due to the inclement weather and some staff were experiencing difficulty in getting to work. The Foxwood Casino is owned by the Pequot Tribe.

posted August 29, 2011 10:20 am edt