Assessment work starts on Rota

The municipality of Rota took the brunt of most of Typhoon Dolphin’s destructive winds and heavy rains when the eye of the tropical cyclone crossed the Rota channel Friday night. Several houses on Rota were seen damaged and unroofed, and many power poles and trees were down after the storm grazed the island.

In his initial statement, Rota Mayor Efrain Atalig said despite the damage they have suffered, he is thankful that there were no casualties or injuries.

Latest reports from Atalig said that 90 percent of the power on island has been restored after experiencing a blackout since Saturday. Roads within the two villages have been cleared including the main highway connecting the two and the hospital. The airport and seaport have also been cleared of debris.

Photo shows typhoon damage on Rota, courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

Photo shows typhoon damage on Rota, courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

Photo shows typhoon damage on Rota, courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

Photo shows typhoon damage on Rota, courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

An electric pole in Alaihai Ave. in Garapan is temporarily supported by a CUC truck since Saturday after being downed by gusty winds. As of yesterday afternoon, it has already been repaired by the agency’s crew. (FRAULEINE MICHELLE S. VILLANUEVA)

Atalig assured everyone that other assistance is on the way.

Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres flew down to Rota yesterday afternoon to personally assess the damage the island suffered. He met with Atalig and Rota’s Emergency Operations Center along with Public Safety Commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero, Commissioner of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Claudio K. Norita, and Special Assistant for Homeland Security and Emergency Management Marvin K. Seman.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), who has been on island since last week, also made the rounds of Rota with Torres.

“My heart goes out to the people of Rota after enduring a storm that left all residents of the CNMI and Guam affected,” said Torres.

“The administration’s main priority at this time is to ensure that the safety and welfare of the municipality’s residents and its rescue personnel are at the forefront of our operations,” he added.

Atalig reported that teams from the American Red Cross and FEMA Preliminary Disaster Assessment are already on island.

According to public information specialist LJ Castro, the Federal Emergency Management Agency contingent includes senior federal official Deanne Criswell. Aside from Rota, the team also discussed the damage on Saipan.

It was not immediately learned if there are plans to declare a state of disaster emergency for Rota.

No casualties or injuries have also been reported on Saipan and Tinian after the typhoon.

“Governor Inos and I extend our appreciation to everyone for taking precautionary measures and tuning in to updates prior to Typhoon Dolphin,” Torres said.

Classes resume on Tinian, Saipan

Education Commissioner Dr. Rita Sablan informed parents and legal guardians of students in the Public School System that schools on Tinian and Saipan would resume today.

Schools on Rota, however, like Head Start, Sinapalo Elementary and Dr. Rota Hocog Inos Jr. Sr. High School will be closed today.

Sablan said Rota classes will resume tomorrow and that all non-certified staff on Rota are required to report to work today.

Meanwhile, the Northern Marianas College will be re-opening their campuses on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian today.

“Students and employees are advised to continue to take precautionary measures when driving on highways as there may be storm debris and/or flooding in low-lying areas,” the college said.

CUC restoration work

According to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., many customers in the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Dolphin remained without essential services as of yesterday afternoon.

After working back-to-back 18-hour shifts, CUC Power and Water crews on Saipan continued their efforts to return services to customers. Power and restoration efforts on Rota and Tinian also continued.

According to CUC, all feeders were providing power to customers across Saipan, allowing crews to focus on the remaining isolated outages.

CUC said all water supplies across Saipan have been restored.

However, more time is required for the newly energized pumps to supply water to the reservoirs to provide the pressure customers are accustomed to receiving.

On Tinian, all feeders are back online. Crews were working to restore power to individual customers.

CUC sent a team from Saipan to Rota to assist with power and water restoration efforts.

Feeder 1 on Rota remained down as of yesterday; however, some customers normally served by Feeder 1 are now receiving power from Feeder 3, which is also partially energized.

A portion of customers in Sinapalo I are receiving power from Feeder 2, but customers living in Sinapalo II and III, as well as the Chenchon area, remain without power. Line crews have prioritized repair work in District 3 at Songsong village, Sinapalo II and III, and Chenchon area, according to CUC.

CUC notes that the water system on Rota has fared better than its power component, as the vast majority of CUC customers are online.

Residents can visit at www.cucgov.org or contact the CUC Call Center at 664-4CUC (664-4282) for more information.

Still in shelters

At 8am Saturday, an all-clear condition was declared by Gov. Eloy S. Inos as Typhoon Dolphin moved away from the islands.

A total of 263 individuals stayed in the 10 shelters that were opened since Friday night.

As of yesterday, shelters were already closed on Saipan as residents left early. However, the Aging Center on Rota, where all of the residents who sought shelter went to register, is still open and will continue to be open.

According to Julita Calvo, who is in charge of the Rota shelter, up to 19 individuals spent Saturday night in the center. At least one stayed last night.

“Some of them are in need of a place to stay but they go to their relatives in the morning,” Calvo said.

“We’re still open as long as anyone needs a place to stay. We’re open 24/7,” she added.

On Tinian, the typhoon shelter located at the Tinian Elementary School accommodated a total of 24 individuals. The American Red Cross also provided food to these individuals.

The Tinian municipal government assisted with road clearing (Department of Public Works was dispatched 24 times to clear roads and remove debris to maintain safety), damage assessments, and dissemination of information.

Super typhoon

After inflicting damage in the CNMI and Guam, Dolphin further intensified and became a super typhoon.

According to the National Weather Station in Guam, the eye of Dolphin was located 495 miles northwest of Saipan. It has sustained winds of 160 miles per hour and was moving northwest at 12 miles per hour.

It was traveling west-northwest but is expected to curve and start heading northeast.

Impact on Guam

In Guam, one person was injured in the storm and taken to the hospital.

“There were no casualties. That means people really paid attention,” said Veronica Verde, spokeswoman for Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 9.

Verde said FEMA will do a joint assessment with the government of Guam on damage from the typhoon. The assessment will be compiled to determine if any federal funding will be needed.

Gov. Eddie Calvo’s spokeswoman, Oyaol Ngirairikl, said the government was still in its initial stages of assessing damage. (With AP)

(By FRAULEINE S. VILLANUEVA and DENNIS B. CHAN
frauleine_villanueva@saipantribune.com
dennis_chan@saipantribune.com
Reporters)