Previous Story
Saving Saipan: Mami Ikeda lends a helping hand
Editor’s Note: Saipan Tribune’s latest series will feature everyday heroes who are taking part in recovery efforts and assisting those in need after Typhoon Soudelor devastated Saipan.
Volunteers Glen Hunter, right, and Patricia Kaipat, left, pose with Mami Ikeda, center, while delivering water to people in need. (Contributed Photo)
As an American Red Cross and United 4 Saipan volunteer, Mami Ikeda has seen first-hand the devastation that island residents endured in the wake of Typhoon Soudelor.
“I cried as I drove through the streets after it passed,” Ikeda said.
The images were so heartbreaking that Ikeda, with the help of other ordinary citizens, set up an instant relief drive in her Gualo Rai home to assist those in need.
“It takes government days to do anything, anywhere around the globe,” she told Saipan Tribune. “We, the local residents, must stand strong and help each other and become one force at a time like this…”
The 48-year-old is a part of the over 100 volunteers who answered the call for immediate assistance and the direct delivery of water and food.
Ikeda explained that her home sustained much less damaged compared to other houses she walked into while volunteering.
“So I thought that since it takes so long for our government to help our people in dire need, then we in the community who are less affected by the disaster should do whatever we can to help,” she said.
Ikeda said she got involved in groups such as United 4 Saipan because it can operate freely and reach out to those in remote parts of the island in a timely manner.
She said that victims helping victims will engender the entire community to stay strong.
After hearing heartbreaking stories from countless families, Ikeda is inspired to do more to help others get back on their own two feet.
“What touches me the most are the smiles of our people, regardless of so much they have lost,” she added. “…I could have been in the same situation.”
Her brother, fondly known by many as Kazu, who died of cancer, is another driving force for Ikeda›s fervent involvement.
“So many supported us throughout his battle with cancer,» she said. ‘What I am doing…is giving back to the island for all the love and support they gave me and my siblings.”
