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Prefabricated homes one of the options being eyed
Prefabricated homes to rebuild the houses of some families on Saipan after the devastation of Typhoon Soudelor is one of the options being explored by the Housing Task Force.
According to the task force’s state lead and Northern Marianas Housing Corp. deputy corporate director Zennie Mafnas, it was discussed by their partners during a meeting.
“The Department of Public Works who was present in some of the Housing Task Force meetings did say that there was interest in some investors bringing in prefabricated homes. So we’re still waiting on that,” Mafnas said.
She said an interested investor was also mentioned.
“There was one very serious investor that wants to bring in a model unit in so that if there’s enough interest, they can provide more of those units,” Mafnas said.
Should they pursue this option, Mafnas said the prefabricated homes will probably be sold like a product.
Some residents are suggesting the use of prefabricated homes so that they will have something more livable to use, even if only temporarily. Others view it as a hazard that may not be strong enough when other storms come in.
More than a hundred days after Typhoon Soudelor hit Saipan, many are still unable to rebuild their own homes due to various reasons such as lack of funds or contractor and workers to actually do the construction.
However, Mafnas said they are not actively looking for these kinds of prefab homes.
“[The Housing Task Force is] not the one going out there looking for prefab homes. We get the input from all these different agencies and we try to just ask them for an update every week,” Mafnas said.
