Hundreds take part in Preparedness Expo

Hundreds of community members flocked to the Civic Center basketball court in Susupe for the CNMI Preparedness Expo on Sept. 24.

The CNMI Preparedness Expo, which culminated the National Preparedness Month celebration, saw some 14 participating agencies and groups that featured various games and activities, an array of giveaways, and free blood sugar and blood pressure screenings.

The event was hosted by radio station KKMP which broadcasted it live from 8am to 2pm.

Marvin K. Seman, special assistant for homeland security under the Office of the Governor, said the CNMI Preparedness Expo aims to promote awareness, readiness, and preparedness in the community for any disasters or events such as tsunami and acts of terrorism.

“The No. 1 thing is to communicate and to have a plan. It goes both ways. Without a plan and you don’t communicate with your families, friends, neighborhood, community, it would be tough to understand what’s going on,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Seman said the event had a “very good” turnout as they were already serving about 300 people during the first few hours. “We thank the community for coming out,” he added.

Seman encouraged the public to avail of the Community Emergency Response Team or CERT program offered for free by the Office of Homeland Security about once or twice a month.

CERT involves some 20 hours of training that provides critical skills to help emergency responders save lives and protect property.

Seman emphasized that first responders are actually ourselves. “We’re the ones right there… If you know what to do to help support a life by going to this training, it would mean a lot to that person,” said Seman, adding that he himself had gone through the training and used it a few times.

Saturday’s event also featured a live demonstration from the Commonwealth Ports Authority Elite K-9 Unit.

Officer 2 Jesse Castro, Officer 2 Byron Kaipat, and Sgt. Mark Toves handled K-9 dogs Mandy, Lobster, and Rifka as they determined which luggage contained the black powder used for bullets and explosives.

Toves, in an interview, said they brought home the three 4-year old K-9 dogs, priced at $50,000 each, from a 10-week training in the U.S. back in 2008.

Toves said all three K-9 dogs and the CNMI group topped the training that also had other police teams from different parts of the nation competing, including the neighboring island of Guam.

“We were rookies and we came out on top so it was a great thing for the CNMI,” Toves added.

Also among the event attendees were Public Safety Commissioner Ray Mafnas and acting governor Eloy S. Inos, who said that the expo is part of the government’s public education campaign.

“It creates community awareness of the many things that we have and/or what we should do in the event of emergencies and so forth,” said Inos, adding that he is pleased with the turnout that saw many students who enjoyed and learned at the same time.