Pacific Island Times April 2020 Vol 4 No. 4 | Page 5

Brief Chat
Lessons from Super Typhoons: Upgrading construction
standards in the CNMI
By Bea Cabrera
Sheryl Cochran
S
aipan— The challenge with the
CNMI or any remote place in the
Pacific are the conditions brought
about by natural elements, which can
be quite severe. On Oct. 25, 2018,
super typhoon Yutu made landfall
on Saipan and Tinian, the kind that
has never been seen nor experienced
before.
Dubbed as the strongest typhoon to
ever hit the American soil, with winds
of 180 mph and gusts of up to 220
mph, Super Typhoon Yutu destroyed
over 500 homes, leaving over 1,000
individuals homeless.
The low standard of building infra-
structure in the CNMI did not help; it
exacerbated the fatal destruction super
typhoon Yutu left behind. Infrastructure
in the CNMI is known to have vary-
ing degrees of success. Many of them,
whether residential or commercial, do
not meet U.S. standards.
The Federal Emergency Management
Agency was already on Saipan when
Super Typhoon Yutu hit due to an earli-
er typhoon called Mangkhut, which hit
another island, Rota.
Sheryl Cochran, FEMA Recovery
Office director for Super Typhoon
Yutu & Typhoon Mangkhut, and Mark
“Todd” Hoose, FEMA external affairs
officer, are responsible for assisting
typhoon survivors.
“Our office is responsible for assist-
ing the survivors of Super Typhoon
Yutu and Typhoon Mangkhut with
Stafford Act Eligible Projects such as
the restoration and repair of utilities,
schools, government facilities and
assisting individuals through Perma-
nent Housing Repair and Construction
and the Volunteer Agencies Leading
and Organizing Repair or VALOR
program,” Cochran said. “We are also
working with the CNMI to rebuild
while implementing resiliency mea-
sures to lessen the impact of any future
storms.”
Two years after the super typhoon
hit, FEMA is still building and repair-
ing homes. “FEMA will be building
183 new construction homes to re-
place homes deemed damaged beyond
reasonable repair. These homes will
be completely concrete including the
roofs with typhoon shutters and a water
catchment system as well,” Hoose said.
He added that 20 homes are currently
under construction with the first home
completion anticipated in early May
2020 and the last home completion
projected in June 2022.
FEMA is repairing homes under two
separate programs. The Permanent
Housing Repair Program is repairing
126 homes to their pre-disaster layout
while incorporating additional hazard
mitigation aspects, Hoose said. “Each
home is evaluated, and the roof repairs
are reengineered and designed to sus-
tain 195mph winds with windows fitted
with typhoon shutters. To date repairs
have been completed on 38 homes that
survivors and their families are now
living in again and PHC is scheduled
through June 2022,” he added.
The Volunteer Agencies Leading
and Organizing Repair or VALOR
program, authorized through April
26, 2020, addresses the unmet needs
of survivors who do not qualify for
traditional FEMA assistance. “The
repairs are considered emergencies and
only address roofs, windows and doors,
electrical, plumbing and access, and
functional needs. One hundred twen-
ty-two homes have been repaired by
volunteers under this program with an
additional 52 homes awaiting comple-
tion,” Hoose added.
According to Cochran, the number
one takeaway lesson from all the build-
ing and repairing in the CNMI points
out to the adoption of current building
codes. “This will lessen the risk in
future storms. FEMA, in conjunction
with the CNMI Governor’s Office, is
encouraging private businesses and
homeowners to follow the adopted In-
ternational Building Codes,” she said.
“All FEMA new construction and
repair homes were built to the 2018
International Building Codes for Wind
and to the 2013 IBC for electrical and
plumbing interior to the home. The
adopted building codes specifically
address the hazards associated with our
environment in the CNMI. With any
project, proper planning and ordering
ahead for the necessary materials needs
to be factored into your building time-
line,” she added.
Hoose said that the Stafford Act,
upon which FEMA was founded,
requires that any repairs be brought
to current codes and standards when
utilizing federal grant money for repair
or replacement.
“When the grants are completed,
inspections are done at closeout to en-
sure the structures are in compliance,”
Hoose said. “The governor and CNMI
departments are working with FEMA
through their traditional repair proj-
ects and are also leveraging the FEMA
Mark ‘Todd’ Hoose
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program that
allows the CNMI to identify critical
infrastructure improvements such as
concrete power poles, generators, and
concrete roofs to strengthen the resil-
iency of the CNMI.”
“A number of private construction
firms are involved in the recovery
efforts; per the Governor’s directive
they should all be instituting the current
adopted building codes,” he added.
Given that the CNMI is [not only] a
strategically important U.S. territory,
but also vulnerable to natural disasters,
Cochran said that recovery following
any disaster requires teamwork and
collaboration. “The CNMI and FEMA
share a mutual goal in assuring the
CNMI is stronger and more resilient
to face any future disasters. FEMA is a
dedicated partner to the CNMI’s recov-
ery efforts,” she said.
“The FEMA mission statement is
helping people before, during, and after
the storm. FEMA was on the ground
before Super Typhoon Yutu, and FEMA
projects have continued to be support-
ed. To ensure the continuity of the
recovery operation here FEMA has
established the Long-Term Recovery
Office that is coordinating efforts in
lockstep with the CNMI Governor’s
office,” she added.
5