Intertribal Life Newspaper -

CARNEGIE, Okla.-Last month, an unseasonably cold spell hit the vertical middle of the United States, causing emergency situations from North Dakota to the southern part of Texas. As temperatures broke below-zero records, and snow and ice filled the streets, power supplies plummeted under the demand.

During the weather event and after, Oklahoma's Kiowa Tribe expanded emergency assistance efforts for tribal members. The tribe offered free firewood, and households with tribal elders were the first priority.

In sub-freezing weather conditions, more than 20 Kiowa tribal employees volunteered on...