A woman watches her neighbor's home burn on the Rincon Indian Reservation in Rincon, California, Oct. 23, 2007. Lucy Nicholson - Reuters.
After watching fires ravage their reservations, tribal leaders in southern California are hoping to improve emergency communications services. The Rincon Reservation and the La Jolla Reservation were hit the hardest. No lives were lost but tribal leaders said it could have been worse due to problems in phone service and emergency communications. "The first three days, we were fending for ourselves," La Jolla Chairman Tracy Nelson said at a meeting of tribal, state and federal officials, The North County Times reported. San Diego County made emergency calls to thousands of residents, including 801 on the La Jolla Reservation. But the tribe's acting fire chief said only a handful of them received the calls. Get the Story:
Tribal leaders worry about emergency communications (The North County Times 11/9) Relevant Links:
After the Fires Fund - http://www.sdfoundation.org/fire2007 Related Stories:
La Jolla Band accepting donations after fire (11/6)
California tribes seek assistance after fire (11/5)
California tribes begin fire recovery efforts (10/31)
Artman to survey fire damage in southern California (10/30)
Tribal firefighters battle California blazes (10/26)
Two tribes among hardest hit by California fires (10/25)
Fires strike southern California reservations (10/24)
BIA cancels consultation due to California fires (10/23)
