FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – More than 5,000 gallons of water and 4,000 ready-to-eat meals have been delivered to tribal communities in northern Arizona in the days since a powerful winter storm left many residents stranded.

Emergency personnel and the Arizona National Guard used heavy equipment and helicopters Tuesday to deliver supplies from a command post in Holbrook to the reservations. Coal and firewood for heating and cooking, and hay for livestock also were being distributed.

President Barack Obama declared an emergency on Navajo and Hopi lands earlier this week.

Arizona Department of Emergency Management spokesman Eric Neitzel said all dialyses patients have been cared for, but clusters of people in isolated areas still haven’t been reached.

Tribal officials said major roads and bus routes are clear, but homes off those paths remain snowpacked and muddy.

The Navajo Nation Council approved $1 million in emergency funds during the second day of its winter session Tuesday to be split among the tribe’s 110 chapters.

“There is another storm said to be coming later this week, and it is up to the chapters to have their own action plans to fulfill the needs of our people,” said Delegate Young Jeff Tom.

The National Weather Service said northern Arizona could get a dusting to an inch of snow at elevations 6,500 feet and above Tuesday night, with more snow expected through Thursday morning.

Coconino County Supervisor Lena Fowler, stationed as an emergency management coordinator at the Navajo Nation’s Tuba City Chapter, said tribal officers were paired up with health officials to reach high-risk patients. The next priority is reaching isolated areas, she said.

Many areas of the reservation are hard to reach, with snow drifts of up to 8 feet. In one instance, a plow working to clear a road hit a car buried in the snow, Neitzel said.

Once the snow is cleared, officials are confronted with a muddy mess that can further complicate emergency efforts.

“Eventually this snow turns into water, and it has nowhere to go,” said Navajo police Officer Ron Brown.

Neitzel said in some cases, supplies are being air-dropped with residents using mirrors to flash helicopters hovering above. A lot of homes on the reservation are miles apart from one another and some were tucked away in tree lines or covered in snow, he said.

The rescue efforts cleared by the emergency declaration will continue through next week as tribal communities identify their needs, Neitzel said.