“Extreme hardship for our people”: San Carlos Apache tribe has no electricity for almost a day

“Extreme hardship for our people”: San Carlos Apache tribe has no electricity for almost a day

Monday, August 12, 2024

Indianz.Com

The leader of the San Carlos Apache tribe will ask the Biden administration for more support after a 21-hour power outage in Arizona hit communities on and off the reservation. The northern part of the reservation lost power after a storm knocked out an aging transmission line Saturday afternoon, the tribe said in a news release. Some even lost water from their wells. “This has caused extreme hardship for our people,” Chairman Terry Rambler said in a social media post. Ramber noted that the affected communities are served by the San Carlos Irrigation Project, a federally owned and managed electric utility. He plans to discuss the power outages, which included a seven-day blackout in 2012, with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland during his upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. “Our tribe needs the additional transmission line,” Rambler said, noting that the project has been in operation for nearly a century. Power has been restored after a series of repairs. The work was complicated by the remoteness of the system, the tribe said in its news release. During the power outage, the San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation had to rely on backup power to power its hospital in Peridot, the news release said. Residents were able to find shelter and power at the hospital and the Apache Gold Casino Resort in San Carlos.

Strong winds cut off power supply in the northern part of the San Carlos Apache Reservation for 21 hours

The following is the text of a press release from the San Carlos Apache Tribe dated August 12, 2024.

San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona — Strong winds from a monsoon storm Saturday afternoon knocked out power in the northern portion of the San Carlos Apache Reservation, leaving the communities of Seven Mile Wash, Gilson Wash and Peridot without electricity for 21 hours. The storm downed an aging, critical power transmission line in a remote area between Coolidge Dam and Winkelman. Repairs took so long because the area was only accessible after debris was cleared using heavy equipment. Communities off the reservation were also affected, including Winkelman, Dudleyville, Aravaipa and Mammoth. Power went out at approximately 4:35 p.m. on Saturday, August 10. Power was restored at 1:39 p.m. on Sunday, August 11. Key government facilities were knocked out, including cell phone reception and water supplies, posing significant danger to some patients and residents. The San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation Hospital in Peridot used its backup generator to keep the hospital powered even though adjacent employee housing was off grid. The outage also shut down two community wells, leaving many homes with little or no water pressure. Refrigerators also failed, leaving many homes to suffer food spoilage. “The outage was a major challenge for the tribe,” said Terry Rambler, chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. “This type of outage is typically associated with developing countries, not the United States. Faced with what could have been a major disaster, the tribe’s Emergency Response Commission responded immediately by providing water, ice and shelter to those most in need.” The commission held an emergency meeting Saturday afternoon to determine the community’s immediate needs. The commission set aside space in the Apache Gold Bingo Hall and the main lobby of the San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation in Peridot to shelter about 130 residents from the heat and charge electronic devices. The Commission also set up water and ice distribution for the public in the Bashas parking lot on Sunday morning. The transmission line is part of an electric system owned and operated by the San Carlos Irrigation Project (“SCIP”). The SCIP was established in 1924 by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (“BIA”) to provide irrigation water and pumps to private landowners and electricity to residents on and off the reservation. The SCIP has 1,894 residential and 355 commercial customers on the reservation. The transmission line fails regularly, often leaving residents and businesses on the reservation without power for hours and sometimes days. The Tribe has repeatedly called on federal authorities to replace the transmission line and build a new access road along U.S. Highway 70. Chairman Rambler has written to Secretary of the Interior Deborah Haaland about the power outage. He will meet with Secretary Haaland in Washington, DC, on September 9 and 10 to discuss financing solutions to prevent future power outages and other matters.