Members of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation have been helping facilitate recovery efforts for fellow tribal members impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
“Mashantucket is all one big family. And they make sure they take care of their own,” said Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Fire Chief Floyd Chaney.
Thursday at the Mashantucket public safety building, Chief Chaney was among other tribal members and workers doing just that in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
“We are a family here, but we have–we have family members no matter where they are in the state,” said Mashantucket Social Services Manager Tanisha Minnis.
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To help family members in need, emergency and social services personnel established a wellness call center, reaching out to those down south in the aftermath of the storm.
“This is a scary situation, okay. Milton, Helene puts lives in jeopardy so we do whatever it takes to make them feel as comfortable as possible,” Chief Chaney said.
Minnis said they called over 70 family members on Thursday morning.
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“I’ve spoken to individuals today and they were just really just excited to hear that we’re calling. It just lets them know that we care. That no matter where they are, that we’re concerned for them,” Minnis said.
She said many are safe, but others are dealing with the devastation.
“Some have had damage to their homes like so many others in these states. Some have lost electricity for prolonged periods of time and are dealing with lost food and lost basic needs for them to survive,” said Mashantucket Pequot Chief of Government Administration Michael Purcaro.
Through the calls, those in Connecticut are facilitating aid to members down south by connecting them with local authorities and other resources.
“Essentially, whatever families might need as far as assistance, we’re here to try and connect them either to services that we have, support that we can provide from here or even locally where they’re living,” Purcaro said.
He added that for phone lines that did not connect, the Tribal Police are working to contact local authorities to ensure everyone is accounted for.
“Anything we gotta do in Connecticut, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida–whatever it takes,” Chief Chaney said.
