MONDAY, Oct. 24, marked the fourth year since Super Typhoon Yutu devastated Saipan and Tinian, Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang said as he encouraged community members to take a moment to remember “our partners that stayed with us from the beginning to the end, and frankly, to this day, in our effort to get ourselves back on our feet.”
Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang speaks to residents of Kagman 2.
The mayor said he will never forget the CNMI’s partners who came to help, adding that “we should forever be grateful for their generosity, kindness, patience and financial support.”
Apatang said these include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Guam National Guard, the Army Reserve, Samaritan’s Purse, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. military, the American Red Cross-NMI Chapter, businesses on island and abroad, and all the Commonwealth government agencies.
“Thank you for being with us and staying with us in our greatest time of need,” the mayor said.
Apatang said without the financial aid and technical support from the federal government, the Commonwealth’s cleanup and recovery efforts would not have been as quick and efficient.
The CNMI’s federal partners, he said, have the expertise in handling and managing disaster cleanup and recovery work, and that was why “our islands saw hope and relief.”
“Today, we breathe easier and enjoy our daily lives again,” Apatang said.
He said the aid that the CNMI received from the U.S. government made it possible for the Commonwealth to say that “we are a resilient people.”
“We are resilient because the millions of dollars in financial aid the federal government sent our way made it possible for us to pay for all the cleanup, disposal, and replacement of damaged properties and infrastructure, and distribute provisions to thousands of island residents,” the mayor said.
“We will always remember and give thanks to our federal partners,” he added.
