Rising together after Soudelor

It has been two years since the incredibly powerful Typhoon Soudelor tore through Saipan. Until now, it is considered one of the most powerful typhoons ever to hit the CNMI—a Category 3 howler that hit Saipan at over 100 miles per hour.

“I remember that washing your hands with soap and water was enough to be grateful for during those times,” said Jill Arenovski of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.

That was how daunting everything was: No power, no water, almost no food, and, for many, no home at all. Fortunately, no lives were lost. Yet in less than a year, a semblance of normalcy was restored and the common denominator of people when asked what their take-away from the experience was is the value of unity, of getting together to rise above the challenges.

“Typhoon Soudelor taught us all the value of and power of working together as a community,” said Hyatt Regency Saipan general manager Nick Nishikawa.

He said the private sector, public sector, non-profit organizations, and individuals came together to respond to the pressing needs.

“We all came together in our greatest hour of need to ensure the needs of the community were met during and after of the storm,” he said.

Nishikawa, who is also vice chairman of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, said they were not blind to their own problems.

“A number of hotels had damaged rooms that needed to be closed for repair. Our employees lost houses and more. At the same time, there was a huge drop in August room cancellations by tourists. Fortunately, that was somewhat made up by off-island relief personnel and local residents looking for rooms. Most of our hotels generate our own power and water, so we were in unique position to aid in recovery,” he said.

At that time, HANMI was in the midst of planning a gala event for its 30th anniversary and had allocated $20,000 for the event. Those plans got scrapped at once.

“We diverted all of that funding to purchase emergency food supplies, which were distributed through Karidat [Social Services]. Subsequently, we donated to CARE [Commonwealth Advocates for Recovery Efforts] to help provide housing for displaced families.

“In addition to cash donations, our individual members also gave meals, fresh water and ice, bedding, and so much more to help the community get back on its feet,” said Nishikawa.

Commonwealth Ports Authority deputy executive director Edward Mendiola said the agency abides by their procedures to ensure the CPA is prepared for typhoons. 

“We take each typhoon seriously and prepare ourselves accordingly. Typhoon Soudelor, just like any other typhoons, required us to prepare and expect the worst,” Mendiola said.

CPA is now finalizing a Typhoon Contingency Plan that will be distributed among CPA ports before the end of the year. He said it outlines what needs to be done at all of CPA’s facilities in the event of a typhoon.  It also identifies those departments and staff that are required to do such preparations. 

“The CPA managed to open the airport sooner than anticipated, considering the extent of the damage sustained islandwide. The airport facilities only sustained minor roof and water damage, and we addressed those immediately,” he said.

The Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport was able to accommodate a huge cargo aircraft, Antonov AH-124-100, that brought in six bucket trucks from Colorado.  Those trucks were used to assist in restoring power to the island. 

Also, power poles were shipped in and were received at the port of Saipan.  The poles were used to replace the downed and damaged ones.

Marianas Visitors Authority Chris Concepcion wasn’t part of the MVA yet at that time “but I know the MVA building a few days after the storm needed repairs because it was flooded. I understand that they gathered the staff and…clean up some of the sights…to let the market and world know that we are still in business. We didn’t want to alarm anybody.”

In the event a typhoon with similar magnitude comes, Concepcion believes MVA is prepared with a procedure.

“First, we would contact our overseas offices and from there immediately get the word out. Second, find out the situation at the airport—are the flights still coming and going?—because that is our only outlet to the world. It is very important that the infrastructure is very solid. Third, I would check with hotels and HANMI for any damage and any injured tourists.”

“I have confidence in the implementation of the procedures we have in place because MVA has a good team. With our resources, we would be able to tackle issues, work with our partners at the airport, hotel industry, the CNMI government, private and public sectors to band together and make sure we have power and water. The safety of tourists is our concern and access in and out of the CNMI. If tourists want to leave and go home to their home country, we make sure they are able to do so.”

One of the most tangible lessons of Soudelor is that “we as a community can come as one. We never forget that,” said Commonwealth Utilities Corp. deputy director Gary Camacho.

“Typhoon Soudelor was a disaster that affected all of us. CUC and other government agencies stood up to the occasion. CUC teamed up with the private sector…and helped us with that.”

“There were a lot of challenges while rebuilding but CUC adjusted with what was in front of us and was going to be required to move forward. Everyone’s mindset was we were going to be there for the community and we were at the best of our abilities. The effort was going to be 110-percent everyday. Everyone at CUC was working hard to restore the island back on its feet. Everyone had a role and performed excellently,” Camacho said.

“CUC is ready in the event of another typhoon. We don’t want our friends, family, and community to suffer that way. CUC will always understand its responsibility to the community. We are dedicated and CUC will do everything it can as it did, then to try to minimize the impact of such a calamity in people’s lives. CUC will definitely be there.”