Tribal Nations have long faced disproportionate impacts from disasters such as wildfires, flooding, and severe storms, often without access to the resources needed before, during, and after these events. Too often, conventional disaster preparedness systems overlook Tribal priorities, leaving limited space for Tribes to design and implement approaches that reflect their cultures, values, governance structures, and community needs.
Since 2020, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness has partnered with Tribal Nations to address these gaps. Together, we work to strengthen preparedness and resilience through approaches grounded in Tribal knowledge, traditions, and self-determination—supporting readiness strategies that are culturally responsive and community-led.
The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) will develop interactive, Tribal-led workshops to strengthen disaster preparedness and response across Tribal Nations. These workshops will be designed and taught by Tribal members and will combine applied game design with communication software built on Twilio-based platforms. By bringing together Tribal stakeholders across multiple sectors, the workshops will foster a collaborative and innovative approach to disaster preparedness grounded in Tribal priorities and community knowledge.
Tribal Nations experience disproportionate impacts from disasters such as wildfires, flooding, and severe storms. Yet conventional disaster preparedness systems often overlook Tribal needs and priorities, limiting the ability to deliver culturally relevant and effective risk communications. Existing emergency communication tools frequently lack key features, such as two-way messaging and multilingual support, that are essential for serving Tribal communities. To address these gaps, NCDP is working directly with Tribal leaders, emergency managers, and community organizations to co-design and implement new communication systems built on Twilio-based platforms. Through interactive game design workshops, NCDP will facilitate dialogue among diverse Tribal stakeholders to strengthen community-wide disaster preparedness.
These workshops will be created and delivered by Tribal members and will leverage innovative technologies to support community-based approaches to preparedness. Using game-based methodologies, the workshops will provide a flexible and supportive environment for addressing complex and often difficult topics, while fostering collaboration, relationship-building, and resilience, ensuring Tribal Nations are better prepared before, during, and after a disaster.
NCDP was awarded a training grant to create a curriculum on Tribal Nations’ Readiness and Resilience. Below is a suite of courses that are available through August 2026:
NCDP has also been working to develop a Tribal Nations curriculum that incorporates traditional knowledge and teaching methods. These trainings will incorporate storytelling and customized lessons tailored to regional contexts, recognizing the rich history and honoring the culture. About this program.
NCDP has been working with Tribal Nations on training programs since 2020 to create curricula. Below are trainings that we can customize to address the needs of your Tribal Nation.
