Representatives from government agencies and nonprofit groups participated in a three-day workshop on hazard mitigation at Grandvrio Resort Saipan.
THURSDAY, Aug. 10, was the final day of the three-day Hazard Mitigation Plan to Action Workshop and Consultation event presented by the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Office of Planning and Development, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency at Grandvrio Resort Saipan.
Erin Derrington, OPD lead planner, said the workshop gathered representatives of government agencies and nonprofit groups to “help improve the CNMI’s overall resiliency to natural disasters.”
The participants learned about various federal funding opportunities that could assist the CNMI in preventing or reducing the damage inflicted on infrastructure during a typhoon or other emergency.
“So much of this is about helping create a pipeline of eligible projects to build our overall resilience,” Derrington said.
Numerous funding opportunities are available to support projects that can enhance infrastructure resilience or reduce the risk of infrastructure damage, Derrington added.
According to Phillip Wang, a senior hazard mitigation specialist with FEMA, the CNMI can apply for pre-disaster funding that is awarded on an annual, competitive basis.
He said the workshop is an effort to “get the info about the funding opportunities, let the community leadership know what’s available and who to work with in government offices.”
“We want to make sure that if the next [disastrous] event does occur the islands can quickly get back on their feet,” Wang said. “We want to make sure infrastructure is strengthened so that there is no downtime when a disaster hits.”
He said the alternative is to utilize post-disaster funding, which requires a presidential declaration of emergency.
