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Police visit to villages, prompts affected residents to take shelter
Some residents living in houses made up of tin and wooden materials immediately proceeded to designated shelters on Saipan Wednesday night after police officers went to villages and urged people to evacuate due to Typhoon Nangka’s approach.
A 49-year-old grandmother told Saipan Tribune yesterday that police went around their village in Dandan Wednesday night, announcing that people staying in tin-houses should go to designated shelters.
A Thai couple and their two young children are among several families that took shelter yesterday at San Vicente Elementary School due to Typhoon Nangka’s approach. (Ferdie de la Torre)
She said she then called her two daughters and decided to follow police’s advice. She and her husband, two daughters, and their grandchildren checked Dandan Middle School, but were told there was no shelter due to water problem.
The family then proceeded to the designated shelter at San Vicente Elementary School at about 9pm-10pm.
The grandmother said when there are designated shelters during storms, they usually go to Dandan Middle School.
She and her family are very thankful to Rep. Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero (R-Saipan) who dropped by at the shelter and distributed bread and water.
The grandmother said their grandchildren are comfortable at SVES’ cafeteria, the designated shelter.
As of 3pm yesterday, the grandmother said they have not decided when are they going back to their house.
A family of four Thais left their tin-house in San Antonio yesterday at 9am because they were scared that a big tangan-tangan and coconut trees may crush their house due to strong winds and rain.
Kraisorn Chaicharden, 47, said she and her husband and two young sons first went to the Koblerville Elementary School shelter, but were told that they were already full. They were advised to proceed to SVES.
Chaicharden said it’s the first time for them to seek shelter because during previous typhoons, they were accommodated by their friend, who stayed in a concrete house.
This time, she said, their friend already left the CNMI so they have no choice but to try the shelter.
At the SVES shelter, they didn’t encounter any problems and are thankful to a local man who came and gave them bread and water.
Chaicharden said the local man just handed the items and left without saying anything.
