Leech Lake Reservation has completed an updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is now seeking public feedback. Like all of Minnesota, Leech Lake Reservation is vulnerable to a variety of natural hazards such as tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought, and extreme temperatures, which can threaten the loss of life and property in the reservation. Planning for natural disasters minimizes the impact of events that can cause vast economic loss and personal hardship.
All reservation residents, as well as other related agency or organizational stakeholders are strongly encouraged to review and offer feedback on the interactive website, PDF of the draft plan, and proposed local mitigation actions. The review and comment period is open for a period of 13 days through November 3, 2025. The public can access the plan using the following hyperlinks:
Leech Lake Reservation HMP Website Homepage (feedback form at the bottom of page)
Leech Lake Reservation Mitigation Action Charts (feedback form at the bottom of page)
The Leech Lake Reservation HMP is a stand-alone tribal plan that addresses the vulnerabilities within the reservation to natural hazards. The Leech Lake Reservation HMP also incorporates the concerns and needs of other key stakeholders such neighboring city and county jurisdictions to the reservation, as well as related agencies, organizations, or businesses participating in the planning process.
Update of the plan has been under direction of Leech Lake Reservation Emergency Management in cooperation with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from tribal departments, neighboring jurisdictions, and other participating stakeholders. Together, the planning team worked to identify cost-effective and sustainable actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life or property from natural hazards. Examples include infrastructure projects for areas that experience repetitive flooding; construction of safe rooms in areas where residents and visitors are vulnerable to tornadoes and severe storm events; addressing wildfire risk to homes and forests, burying powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice, or wind storms; ensuring timely emergency communication to the public through warning sirens and mass notification systems; and conducting outreach to increase public awareness of severe weather and personal preparedness.
Hazard mitigation planning helps the Leech Lake Reservation protect its residents. Working with tribal government and local residents through the process helps identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate the effects of a potential hazard. In addition, increasing public awareness of natural disasters and encouraging personal preparedness helps to create a community that is resilient to disaster, and breaks the cycle of response and recovery. Updating the plan further allows Leech Lake Reservation and its jurisdictions to be eligible to apply for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program funding for projects that help to reduce or eliminate the impacts of future natural hazard events.
Community feedback is vital to the success of the plan. Leech Lake Reservation invites public review and feedback of the draft plan prior to submitting it to the State of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review. Feedback may be provided via the online comment forms or directly to Leech Lake Reservation Emergency Management.
Contact
Duane Oothoudt
Leech Lake Reservation Emergency Management Director
218-335-8277 EXT 6312
[email protected]
Please scan the following QR code to go directly to the Leech Lake Reservation Hazard Mitigation Plan interactive website:
