Kia’aina lauds CNMI recovery efforts

A top federal official overseeing insular affairs lauded the CNMI’s resiliency after Typhoon Soudelor, growing emotional at a press conference yesterday over the help given to the elderly during the recovery efforts.

Esther Kia’aina, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas, said she is committed to leveraging all federal resources with the objective to help the CNMI government.

“My primary objective was to come and show support to the CNMI government and the people of the Northern Marianas [after] one of the most devastating natural disaster it has faced in modern history,” she said of her trip.

“We have every intent on strategizing to determine what remaining fiscal 2015 funds, including for Capital Improvement Projects, might be able to be reprogrammed to meet the immediate needs of the Northern Marianas as well as to contemplate the use of fiscal [2016 and 2017] funds to that end,” Kia’aina told reporters.

On Tuesday, Kia’aina met with the Public School System, Northern Marianas College, and Commonwealth Utilities Corp.—three of the hardest hit public agencies hit by the storm.

“I went to the Aging Center as well, which was for those individuals who needed critical care” or have health care needs that needed electricity “before they moved back to homes,” she said.

“There were two families that were left. I heard praise from the federal agencies on all fronts. They have been completely amazed by the professionalism, cooperation, and dedication of the CNMI government as well as the resiliency of the people of the Northern Marianas. I need to tell you that was pretty touching to me,” Kia’aina said.

“What was more touching was they said that,” she continued, growing emotional, with tears visibly forming in her eyes. “That the quality of care that was given to the people of Aging Center, they were shocked. And I am thinking that if the government and the people rally to do the debris removal and cleanup and then still care about yours seniors and those families in greatest need—that is a testament to the people of the Northern Marianas and the government and that needs to be applauded.”

“I know full well of the impacts of typhoons. I was raised in Guam. I was there during 1976 when Super Typhoon Pamela hit. I was horrified, I thought the whole house was going to blow up and be sucked into a tornado-like environment.

“And I’ve heard from almost everybody that I’ve talked to here. That for a short period of time—apart from being stunned because they weren’t expecting the winds—being stunned by the devastation and being afraid for their lives. That story is not being told enough.

“I am amazed at coming here and seeing the cleanliness of the island. I see the collaboration” and the resiliency of the people.

“This is a model case study of what should occur if something so devastating happens. …I have confidence that in our long term hazardous mitigation plans the people of the Northern Marianas will be stronger when something of this magnitude hits again,” she said.