WITH Gov. Ralph DLG Torres delivering the keynote address, the inaugural coastal construction training kicked off at the Aqua Resort Club on Tuesday.
The first set of the two-day construction course started at 7:30 a.m. with the CNMI’s Infrastructure and Recovery Program or IRP coordinator, Marianne Concepcion-Teregeyo, welcoming the participants from Saipan, Tinian and Rota. The second training session will be held on Nov. 15 also at Aqua Resort Club.
The first training session was conducted by IRP in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Sciences Mitigation Assessment Team and Interagency Recovery Coordination.
The training session discussed building resilience for infrastructure, building design concepts, identifying hazards, siting, design and construction of building foundations, roof systems, and building maintenance.
Concepcion-Teregeyo talked about the CNMI’s ongoing collaboration with FEMA while FEMA Joint Recovery Director Wayne “Randy” Clayton provided the background on their recovery mission.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Officer Olivia A. Scriven, Ph.D., discussed FEMA Interagency Recovery Coordination while FEMA Region 9 Recovery Division Director Robert Pesapane tackled the permanent housing construction program.
The training aims to provide technical assistance and guidance to CNMI government agency employees, private contractors, and non-government organizations as part of “inclusive and equity-focused recovery planning and capacity building efforts” in the Commonwealth.
It also aims to “address existing knowledge and skill gaps through an interactive hands-on learning approach to understanding resilient building best practices.”
Coastal construction lead instructor John Squerciati, P.E., CFM, left standing, makes a presentation during the inaugural coastal construction training session at Aqua Resort Club on Tuesday.
