By Zaldy Dandan – Variety Editor
CONSIDERING that Sinlaku is the third typhoon to hit Saipan in a decade, many long-time residents and government officials should have a better understanding of the disaster response and recovery process. As Saipan Mayor RB said after Sinlaku finally left the Marianas, “Everybody is suffering…. Nobody is exempted.” We are all typhoon victims — including emergency responders and Commonwealth Utilities Corp. personnel.
Last week, CUC managers held a highly informative media conference, streamed by Brad Ruszala’s NMI News Service.
Asked for the latest developments, CUC Executive Director Kevin Watson said, “We’re making great progress, tremendous progress.”
Most residents, however, mainly want to know one thing: when power and water will be restored.
Still, the public must also understand the challenges CUC faces in repairing an aging system devastated by a super typhoon that lingered just offshore for hours before its eyewall slowly moved over Saipan and Tinian. We endured more than 24 hours of typhoon-force winds. As Sinlaku made landfall, its eye widened, putting the islands in a broader path of destruction. Power, water, and internet service were severely disrupted, while the Kagman sinkhole further complicated emergency response efforts.
Some say the CNMI should have had a better plan. But as Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Sinlaku mauled us.
CUC has long had plans to improve its infrastructure. In July 2020, when lawmakers asked about implementation, CUC replied: “We don’t have the funding.” The agency also repeatedly reminded lawmakers about the government’s unpaid utility bills, but the warnings were ignored.
Nearly a month after Sinlaku, however, there have been “positive updates,” according to CUC power division electrical engineer Jonathan Camacho.
On Tinian, Watson said additional crews and equipment, including personnel from the Guam Power Authority, were arriving while the U.S. military was assisting. Power distribution lines are expected to be ready once the power plant comes back online.
Watson explained that crews first needed to repair structural damage to the plant, stop rainwater intrusion, and dry out the engines and control panels using heaters brought from Guam. “All the engines must be dismantled and dried out so it’s a process,” he said. He added that even before the storm, officials had been discussing funding for a new power plant with the Department of War.
Camacho urged Tinian residents not to lose hope, saying the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was exploring ways to provide temporary power on the island. He noted that Tinian could potentially reach full restoration before Saipan because it currently has 60 replacement poles available for 111 damaged poles.
On Saipan, Camacho said Power Plant 1’s Engine 1, which has a 5.5-megawatt capacity, was already operating and supplying power to the hospital and several surrounding areas. He also announced that Aggreko generators were once again supporting the island’s grid.
Camacho explained that restoring large commercial facilities first was necessary to stabilize the power grid. Major customers such as the hospital and large hotels provide enough electrical load to prevent generators from fluctuating and tripping, reducing the risk of another islandwide blackout.
Asked about restoration timelines, Camacho said progress continues to improve as more assistance arrives. Guam Power Authority crews were making “extreme progress,” particularly on Feeder 4, and additional support on other feeders could accelerate restoration. CUC expects all primary lines to be energized within the week, after which crews will focus on neighborhoods, homes, and businesses.
Generator No. 2 was showing promising results during testing, while Generator No. 4 continued drying out, Camacho said. With Aggreko’s support and other repairs underway, he said the island was moving closer to full power generation capability.
However, many homes are still not ready for reconnection because they require repairs. Camacho said the largest challenge remains materials. Crews are salvaging usable equipment and testing transformers for possible reuse. “Everybody’s working as hard as they can to get power back,” he said.
As for Saipan’s water system, CUC utility coordinator Joel Hoepner credited Army Corps and FEMA generators for keeping water wells operational. As of last week, around 35 to 44 FEMA generators were powering wells and about 80% of the island had 24-hour water service. Hoepner said conditions were improving as long as generators remained operational.
Residents without water service may have had their meters shut off because of leaks within their property or service lines, Hoepner said, urging affected customers to contact CUC.
Water loss remains a major issue because many wells are still offline and numerous pipes were damaged during the storm. Hoepner said about 40 CUC personnel are divided into northern, central, and southern repair teams, fixing roughly 100 leaks daily.
Watson emphasized that power restoration will not take one or two years, although some areas may take longer than others.
Camacho also urged residents not to crowd line crews in the field or pressure them to restore individual homes first, warning that doing so creates safety hazards. He added that stolen wires and damaged drop lines could significantly delay restoration because replacement conductors can take up to three months to arrive.
Meanwhile, CUC continues working to harden the system against future storms. Watson said the utility plans to replace wooden poles with concrete poles capable of withstanding winds exceeding 200 mph. He noted that concrete poles installed after Super Typhoon Yutu performed well during Sinlaku.
Shipments of concrete poles are arriving from Guam and South Korea. Watson said CUC already has about 100 concrete poles in inventory and another 100 en route from Guam. Wooden poles may still be used temporarily to speed restoration efforts while additional concrete poles are manufactured and shipped.
Camacho noted that before Sinlaku, FEMA also had a separate project planned to install 1,050 concrete poles on Saipan.
For sure, there have been positive developments since last week. But again, that does not necessarily mean everyone will already be satisfied with the pace of recovery.
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Zaldy Dandan is the recipient of the NMI Society of Professional Journalists’ Best in Editorial Writing Award and the NMI Humanities Award for Outstanding Contributions to Journalism. His four books are available on amazon.com/.
