Relief organizations speak at SHRM meeting

Various organizations doing relief and recovery work on Saipan spoke to members of the Society for Human Resource Management yesterday to talk about how each organization can help employees in their time of need.

At SHRM’s general monthly meeting held at Pacific Islands Club Saipan yesterday, representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross-NMI Chapter, and the Salvation Army spoke about their various services.

Susan Langhoff

“We still have close to 3,000 people that, believe it or not, we still haven’t been able to touch,” Hirsh said.

He said ARC has already directed $3 million in direct assistance to families.

Hirsh also said that they are aiming to help get people out of the shelters. Currently, there are still more than 200 individuals staying in various shelters on island.

“This is an issue that we’re collaborating with our local and federal partners to see if there’s a way that we can mitigate these lengthy stays in the shelters. This is not a place for any of us would like to be spending two or three weeks in,” Hirsh said.

Stephen Graves, operations chief for the unified Commonwealth and federal response, said, “It’s important to focus to bring normalcy back to the island as close as possible.”

Susan Langhoff, FEMA assistant external affairs officer for the private sector division, reminded SHRM members that those seeking assistance should call FEMA to register and that the deadline is on Oct. 5.

She added that registration is free and those who will be visited by FEMA inspectors should look for a FEMA identification so as not to be victimized by persons posing as inspectors. She added that registration numbers given to individuals should also be kept private as it contains all their personal information.

Langhoff also explained the use of SBA loan applications in the FEMA process even for home owners.

“FEMA is only allowed to make your home safe, habitable and secure. We are not allowed, by law, to restore it to pre-storm condition. The FEMA funds may not be sufficient for you to have your home fully restored and that’s where the SBA loans come in to assist,” Langhoff said

She added that if an individual is not eligible for an SBA loan, he or she can then apply for the “other needs program” of FEMA.

Salvation Army’s Pastor Wayne Gillespie spoke about their continued feeding program.

“The primary mission of the Salvation Army in this particular disaster is mass feeding,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie also talked about the efforts of the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, or VOAD, which is a collaborative group of non-government, non-profit and faith-based organizations working together for various relief efforts in the community.

“The only way our community can recover is [by] working together,” Hirsh said.