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Evacuees climb to 204
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Posted on Sep 08 2000
Tropical storm Saomai continued to pound Saipan yesterday forcing more residents to flee their homes for safer grounds due to strong winds and heavy rains.
The number of evacuees occupying six of the eight designated emergency shelters climbed to 204 individuals, including children, according to the Emergency Management Office.
EMO said these individuals evacuated to temporary shelters in fear of floods and possible damage to their poorly-built and unsecured dwellings.
“Some families fled their homes because they said they are scared of flooding. But mostly, it was due to poor structures,” said EMO Administrative Officer Anthony Tenorio.
Garapan Elementary School hosted the most number of evacuees at 81, followed by San
Vicente Elementary School with 45 individuals. Forty-three individuals transferred to Oleai Elementary School and another 22 to Koblerville Elementary School. William S. Reyes and Tanapag Elementary Schools provided shelter to five and 8 individuals, respectively.
But officials said that starting today, these families will be asked to return to their homes and only one family will be brought to Ada Gym for temporary shelter to give way for the cleaning and sanitizing of the schools in preparation for Monday’s resumption of classes.
EMO was flooded with calls yesterday from families seeking evacuation assistance as well as information on typhoon Saomai’s exact location.
“The storm is already past us. Right now, it’s located north of Agrihan,” Mr. Tenorio told a telephone interview.
In a bulletin issued late in the afternoon, EMO has downgraded Tropical Storm Condition I to III for the islands of Saipan and Tinian, but maintained Tropical Storm Condition I for the remote islands of Agrihan as of 3:00 p.m.
Packing a maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, Saomai is moving northwest at 15 mph and is expected to continue on this track for the next 72 hours, according to EMO.
