More reinforcements heading to Rosebud, other South Dakota Indian reservations

An ongoing South Dakota blizzard is wreaking havoc across the state, including various Indian reservations where conditions are even more dangerous due to heat and food shortages.

That’s why Gov. Kristi Noem Thursday activated the South Dakota National Guard to assist tribal governments by hauling firewood from the Black Hills Forest Service to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. And she announced additional Guard missions again Friday, adding the Oglala Sioux Tribe to the list of locations where state aid is being sent.

They will also be helping with snow removal in support of both the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe. They will be performing these missions in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Transportation, according to a news release issued by the governor’s office Friday afternoon.

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“My administration has been assisting county and tribal governments in the local response to the ongoing winter storms across the state,” Noem said in a statement. “Under the direction of the Office of Emergency Management, we will continue to help all of South Dakota’s communities get through these storms, together.”

Feeding South Dakota has also trucked in additional food supplies to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.