Power remains a big issue as the Shinnecock Nation of New York recovers from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy.

The tribe lost power as the storm hit the reservation, located on the far eastern edge of Long Island. A tidal surge of about four to six feet led to flooding.

“It’s getting cold and some of our elders don’t have ways to heat their home," Randy King, the chairman of the tribe's board of trustees, said on a conference call hosted by the United South and Eastern Tribes.

The Shinnecocks are awaiting the arrival of a response team from the Seminole Tribe of Florida, another USET member with experience in disaster recovery. The Seminole team is expected tomorrow.

“As you know our newer federally recognized tribes as still in the process of getting all of their people and procedures in place. This is going to be a big asset to them," Harrell French, USET's senior project coordinator for emergency management, said on the call. The Shinnecocks gained federal recognition in 2010.

USET is in the process of setting up a relief fund. Details are expected be announced later today.

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Shinnecock Nation in need of generators after Hurricane Sandy (10/31)
NMAI in Washington, D.C., and in New York City remain closed (10/30)
Tribes making preparations as Hurricane Sandy hits East Coast (10/29)
Connecticut tribes closing their casinos due to Hurricane Sandy (10/29)
NMAI postpones Indian mascots event due to Hurricane Sandy (10/29)