DNAP ‘likely’ to process aid through the weekend

The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, the department that administers the Nutritional Assistance Program and the Disaster Nutritional Assistance Program in the CNMI, might continue the disaster assistance application process through Sunday.

DCCA Secretary Robert Hunter told Saipan Tribune yesterday that the DNAP application processing for numbers beyond D07400 is likely to continue through Sunday but that has yet to be finalized.

“…We don’t think we are going to [have a] break. We might go right into Sunday with D08400 and Monday with D09400 and so forth,” he told Saipan Tribune, adding that the same number of applicants would be processed daily.

Hunter added that the DNAP number distribution at the Minachom Atdao Pavilion was discontinued and relocated back to the NAP office in As Lito since the volume of people getting DNAP numbers for processing was greatly reduced since the relocation of the numbering site last Monday.

Hunter previously told Saipan Tribune that he has already obtained the verbal green light to extend DNAP distributions by a week since the volume of applications was massive.

However, Hunter noted that although federal NAP officials were involved in the planning of the DNAP distributions, only a written document would make the approval of the weeklong extensions of the DNAP official.

Even so, Hunter noted that it was “likely” that DNAP processing continues through Sunday. He added that some of the volunteers wished to continue processing the numbers without breaks as originally proposed by U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services officials.

“…The workers wanted to continue. Otherwise, we would have a break on Sunday,” he said, reiterating that it was not yet official. “…I can’t say it is official until I get that written statement from the FNS.”

Due to the volume of DNAP applicants, only 1,000 are being processed and vetted daily. Supplemental NAP applications are processed at 250 daily, according to the announcement last Tuesday.

The announcement further noted that for DNAP numbers D07400 and beyond, a new announcement would be made once confirmation on the extension has been approved . As of Thursday afternoon, Hunter noted no such approval.