Shortage of contractors and materials hinder rebuilding

The high demand for contractors and construction materials is obstructing rebuilding efforts on Saipan following Typhoon Soudelor.

According to Weston Thomas Deleon Guerrero, acting building safety officer of the Department of Public Works, these are among the issues they now face with regards to construction and rebuilding.

“Although they are getting FEMA money, maybe some of them are getting SBA money, not all of that is really helping out with the shortage of manpower that we have here as far as contractors and people who actually know how to build a house,” Deleon Guerrero said.

There is also a shortage of construction materials such as corrugated galvanized tin and wood stick frame, among others.

“There’s a shortage of those materials on island. We don’t have many. A lot of the warehouse and construction stores are running out. There’s just a really huge demand,” Deleon Guerrero said in a recent meeting with the CNMI: CARE, the group formed to focus on long-term recovery efforts ion Saipan.

“The demand is high for contractors. They’re starting to raise their prices a little bit,” he added.

Before Soudelor, contractors charge $60 to $75 per square foot. That has now gone up to as much as $200 per square foot, he said.

“That’s not really helpful in these times when people need help,” Deleon Guerrero said.

3,000 homes affected
The American Red Cross NMI Chapter tallied almost 3,000 houses that were affected by Typhoon Soudelor.

Executive director John Hirsh told Saipan Tribune that the number is based on their assessment around the island.

Of the total affected, 356 houses were completely destroyed, 1,250 suffered major damage while 1,264 suffered minor damage.

Pre-engineered plans
Among the services that Deleon Guerrero is planning to put up for the community is to create pre-engineered plans for one-, two- or three-bedroom homes and hand them out to those who need it. These plans, he said, costs about $1,000 to $5,000.

“We don’t want to burden these people that get money from FEMA that you do have to get this stamped plans,” he said. “I think that was one way to really try to help them out.”

Deleon Guerrero said they want the public to have houses that could withstand not only strong winds but earthquakes as well since the CNMI is a high-seismic area.

“My goal is to really educate the public. I don’t want to just give them a house where they can stay in. I want to teach them how they can build their house themselves if ever they come to that point again,” Deleon Guerrero said.