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BREAKING NEWS: NMI monitoring N. Korea threat to Guam
Torres signs directive creating Nuclear Threat Working Group
The CNMI government, through the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, continues to oversee the threats made by North Korea on Guam as recent reports have indicated the country’s development of a plan to strike the island territory.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said he has been in close contact with Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield of Joint Region Marianas regarding the escalating events and has been assured that there is currently no imminent threat to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
“Rear Admiral Chatfield has notified me that no imminent threat exists for both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and we have been receiving information from Guam about the recent events. We will continue to provide updates for the community from both the Department of Defense and our brothers and sisters from Guam as this situation develops,” Torres said.
Special Assistant for Homeland Security and Emergency Management Gerald Deleon Guerrero said his office has been monitoring the situation closely and has been in discussions with the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense and the Mariana Regional Fusion Center.
“We continue to be in close coordination with GHS/OCD and the MRFC on any potential
courses of action in order to prepare for such threats. So far, there has been no change in threat level regarding the recent developments in North Korea,” Deleon Guerrero said.
In related news, Torres today signed Executive Directive 2017-003, which creates the Nuclear Threat Working Group that will coordinate with regional and federal partners to update the All Hazards Response Program and address any potential nuclear threats to the Northern Mariana Islands.
“My administration has been working on this directive since the first reports of nuclear threats came out in the public. The escalation in threats has prompted us to push this out in a more expedited manner. This working group will be under the direction of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and consist of representatives from the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Public Health under the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, and the Governor’s Authorized Representative. They will also establish plans and procedures to promptly communicate information regarding nuclear threats to the general public,” Torres said.
Despite the recent threats within the region, Torres assures the Commonwealth to remain calm.
“I ask our community to remain calm and to continue going about their daily activities. I will remain in close contact with our military officials, the federal government, and our local emergency first responders. We will continue to prepare for anything, and we will continue to keep our loved ones in Guam in our thoughts.”
