Previous Story
Climate adaptation training comes to the CNMI
A federal expert on climate change is currently on island to lead a training session on climate adaptation strategies for emergency managers.
Mary Schoenfeldt, an instructor and trainer with the Homeland Security National Domestic Preparedness Training Consortium, told the Rotary Club of Saipan yesterday, that she is in the Northern Mariana Islands to conduct trainings on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota on how to combat the threatening impacts of climate change.
Schoenfeldt said that climate change is greatly impacting water temperature, sea levels, strength of storms, and overall weather temperature.
“Every community around the globe is either getting hotter, getting colder, getting wetter, or getting drier and storms are getting stronger,” she said. Because of these drastic changes, it is important to prepare for what’s to come.
“It’s really asking local government and emergency management professionals and business professionals to think about what are some of the long-term strategies that would help to make your community more resilient when some kind of a weather event happens,” said Schoenfeldt.
The training is an initiative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with Homeland Security.
Training began on Saipan last Monday, while another one will be conducted on Tinian today. The last training session will take place on Friday on Rota.
Aside from working with Homeland Security, Schoenfeldt is also the president of the Rotary Club in Everett, Washington.
According to Schoenfeldt, the Rotary Club is about helping the community and making a difference. Through the Rotary Club, she has met individuals who share her passion.
“ I can impact so much more what I’m able to do as an individual by belonging to Rotary,” she said.
