Many still unable to rebuild

A prevailing sense of normalcy has returned to Saipan 100 days after Typhoon Soudelor hit the island on Aug. 2 but there are still many who have yet to feel that, let alone rebuild their home or get rid of possessions that have turned into typhoon debris.

Joe Rios and his wife, who used to live in Kagman with their own backyard, are currently renting a small space in Koblerville just to have a roof above their heads.

Cramped in a narrow room with all the belongings they could salvage from the ruins that Soudelor made of their house, the couple tries to survive every day.

According to Mrs. Rios, the house they were living in was completely destroyed, with only the flooring left behind. They were caretakers of the house and because they don’t own the place, they weren’t able to get assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to rebuild; instead, they received rental and property assistance.

To make matters worse, Joe Rios, who had undergone heart surgery before, suffered health issues after Soudelor. The stress of having a ruined home took its toll on his body. Prior to the typhoon, he could still do a lot of work in the house. After the typhoon, Rios has been in and out of the hospital.

Mrs. Rios said they were forced to live in a tent for two months.

Even though she is still able to go to work from Koblerville all the way to Kagman, the disaster created a lot of added expenses to their family with gas, and without the vegetables that they used to just pick from their garden.

The biggest challenge for the couple right now is looking for a new place that they could call home.

“Where can we go?” asked Mrs. Rios.

With most affordable rental spaces either occupied or damaged, the couple are finding it hard to start anew and settle down.

For another couple in Dandan, the challenge is to find a contractor.

Ruth Ruemau, who was able to get some assistance from FEMA, has already used the money to buy the materials they need to fix their home but said that it is really hard to find workers who will actually do the rebuilding.

“We have all the materials but we don’t have anyone to come and build it. We’re just waiting and waiting,” she said.

Ruemau couldn’t do it by herself as she also has a medical condition. The wounds brought about by a chicken attacking her after the typhoon worsened before members of the Community Outreach Recovery Effort was able to take care of her.

She had a hard time walking and needed to undergo skin grafting procedure. Her husband, Justin Garuw, who earlier suffered a stroke, is partially paralyzed.

The couple now lives in a makeshift house made of wood and tin and covered with curtains built by a relative. Though it makes for a cool house with the breeze just freely flowing, it also makes it easier for mosquitoes to get in.

Despite this, the couple survives every day with a smile as Ruemau continues to make the most of their situation. Although many in their situation would complain, she sees it differently.

“It doesn’t matter how it is, if you can live in it, just make it clean,” she said.

Ruemau said she is able to have the energy to survive because of all the people that was there to help her like her husband and CORE.

“Although he suffered a stroke, we try our best to help one another,” Ruemau said.

“Right now I don’t really have other needs because Mami [Ikeda] and Kazuo [Estrada] are here to help me,” she added.

Ruemau said she wants to inspire the community that they can survive the challenges of Soudelor.

“For me this is a good experience,” Ruemau said.