FEMA Hires More Local Residents To Help Recovery Efforts
Release Date: November 3, 2000
Release Number: HQ-00-CG19
SANTA FE, N.M. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced the appointment of six more local residents to work for 13 months with the Cerro Grande Fire Assistant Act Program, fulfilling a promise made by FEMA Director James Lee Witt last August.
"In addition to the six individuals we've hired for the Los Alamos Service Centers, we have been fortunate enough to recruit six more outstanding people to help us in the other centers and here in the main office," said Donald Erbach, Director of the program. "These individuals bring a special knowledge and community involvement to our efforts that will be invaluable in helping people whose lives were impacted by the fire.
"We look to these staff to be particularly effective in areas around Los Alamos that experienced damage and economic injury because of the fire," Erbach added.
Newly hired residents include:
- Joseph Hesbrook, Ph.D., Santa Fe resident. Joseph Hesbrook, the newly appointed Tribal Liaison for the Cerro Grande Fire program, came on board to continue the important work coordinating with the Santa Clara and San Ildefonso pueblos as specific in the Act.
Joseph moved to Texas from South Dakota as part of the relocation in the 1950s. He earned his Ph.D. in political science and history from the University of North Texas, Dallas and entered public service. He served as Vice President for Development with Alamosa State College for three years before moving to Santa Fe.
During his 12 years in Santa Fe, Joseph has served as Director of Development for the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, Indian Liaison for the Bureau of Land Management and four years with U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman.
"It's a wonderful organization and I'm enthusiastic about the challenge," Joseph said of his new position with the Cerro Grande program. "I'm looking forward to helping the tribal people whose lives were touched by the fire."
- Hasha Cole, San Ildelfonso Pueblo. Hasha Cole, a Northern Arapaho from Wyoming, lives on the Totavi section of the pueblo, near the fire command center where many Los Alamos evacuees waited to return home. Her home was untouched, but her Los Alamos employer had to file bankruptcy after the fire, and Hasha was left without a job.
When FEMA Director James Lee Witt came to meet with fire survivors, Hasha was there to tell her story-and to talk about issues facing her community, such as flooding. She also said she needed a job.
Today Hasha is the first contact for people calling for assistance under the Cerro Grande Act. She was hired just last week to staff the toll-free number in the Santa Fe Office, where she handles approximately 20 calls a day.
"I'm happy to be gainfully employed," Hasha said. "And I can tell people who call in that the program has worked for me."
"Good things can come out of a disaster," Hasha added. "I'm anxious to expedite the process, and I'm seeing the healing process at work. I think the callers like the reassurance of dealing with a local person."
It's a good match all the way around.
- Kimberly Shije, Santa Clara Pueblo. Kimberly Shije is a native of the Santa Clara Pueblo, a fact that is certain to help her manage the pueblo's service center for the Cerro Grande Fire program.
Kimberly received her degree in criminology and social welfare from the University of New Mexico. She worked as the Governor's secretary at San Ildefonso Pueblo, a probation officer for Santa Clara Pueblo, and an intern with the tribal courts in the Pojoaque Pueblo before moving to Albuquerque.
The call from FEMA to manage the service center gave Kimberly "a chance to come home."
"Not only am I enjoying it a lot, I think the tribal members are glad to see me here," Kimberly said. "It's a chance for me to serve my own community and gain some good work experience."
As one tribal member put it, "It's good to have someone from the pueblo running the center."
- Tom Tapia, San Juan Pueblo. The new manager of the San Ildelfonso Pueblo Service Center brings to the job close ties to the area. Tom grew up in nearby San Juan Pueblo and graduated from St. Catherine's High School in Santa Fe. He later attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.
After 11 years as a barber, Tom spent 25 years as a potter, something he still enjoys in his spare time. He worked as a counselor for the drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic at the San Juan Pueblo before joining the Eight Northern Pueblos to work on Project Recovery after the Cerro Grande Fire.
His work as a crisis counselor at the Service Center led to the opportunity to manage the Service Center for FEMA.
"I like the challenge this job presents," Tom said. "I think local hires are sensitive to what people are talking about, their needs and their customs."
- Jeremy Yepa, Santa Clara Pueblo. Without Jeremy and his computer expertise, the Cerro Grande fire office would have trouble getting the work done. Jeremy oversees the computer network, which allows the staff to access FEMA databases and the Internet.
A native of the Santa Clara Pueblo, Jeremy graduated from Espanola Valley High School and attended Northern New Mexico Community College. He then took more advanced computer courses at the University of New Mexico at Los Alamos and worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory before accepting an internship with Lucent Technologies in Chicago. He then continued work-study at LANL's career center maintaining the center's computers.
With a year to go to his Bachelor's degree, Jeremy took the job with FEMA last May and has kept the computers up ever since.
"I was terrified at first," Jeremy said. "But once I got rolling, I realized how much I knew.
"I love it here," he added. "The people are understanding and very helpful."
- Sophia Calabaza, San Ildelfonso Pueblo. As the Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Cerro Grande Fire Office, Sophia is responsible for seeing that everything runs smoothly at the top of the organization.
She joined FEMA after working as the Administrative Assistant for the tribe's Department of Environmental and Cultural Preservation.
Sophia grew up at San Ildelfonso and graduated from the Santa Fe Indian School. She received her Associate of Arts degree from the Northern New Mexico Community College in office administration. She has four children, ages 12, 10, 8, and 3.
"I think the job is really interesting," Sophia said. "I think it's important to help others, in many ways.
"Helping others involves more than just money," she added. "It's just as important to do what we can to maintain our cultural integrity and identity."
Last Modified: Tuesday, 30-Dec-2003 16:52:08