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‘Plenty of DNAP aid to go around’
Over 2,200 numbers were assigned
About 2,000 line up early Sunday morning for the Disaster Nutrition Assistance Program at the Nutrition Assistance Program office in As Lito. (Erwin Encinares)
There is more than enough money for Disaster Nutritional Assistance Program checks to go around for those who qualify for assistance.
Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Robert Hunter gave this assurance, adding that while Sunday may be the only day residents are available for lining up, setting up camp outside of the Nutritional Assistance Program office in As Lito was totally unnecessary.
“…A lot of them expressed that Sunday is their only day that they can do this…But we have been trying to get the word out in social media that everybody who qualifies will get assistance. We are not going to run out of money,” Hunter told Saipan Tribune.
The DNAP budget is estimated to be over $8.5 million, according to a statement from the administration of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.
About 2,000 line up early Sunday morning for the Disaster Nutrition Assistance Program at the Nutrition Assistance Program office in As Lito. (ERWIN ENCINARES)
DCCA stated in a previous article that they project the participation of 12,000 of the 14,000 households on Saipan and Tinian.
“It is unnecessary to wait [at the NAP office] overnight. Get there early, but not that early,” he said.
According to Hunter, lines have been starting to form outside of the NAP office as early as 6pm last Saturday.
While the plan was to only issue 1,700 numbers, the staff on site decided it to be best to distribute numbers until the end of the allotted time for processing, from 8am to 6pm. As of 2:30pm yesterday, over 2,200 numbers have already been assigned, Hunter said.
“They…decided to go ahead [with the numbers over 1,700] because there were so many people there,” he said yesterday.
Hunter noted that, with over 2,200 people showing up in front of the As Lito NAP office, he would be pitching an idea to do an off-site DNAP number distribution, which would require the approval of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
He noted that the meeting with FEMA would be held after the number distributions.
