THE last of the two-day sessions for the Public Assistance Training through the Infrastructure Recovery Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency-Interagency Recovery Coordination under the Joint Recovery Office begins Wednesday, May 4.
This training covers public assistance in coordination with the Governor’s Authorized Representative and both the local and FEMA Public Assistance Offices, with the intent of increasing local capacity.
The sessions include an introduction to public assistance, as well as overviews of Category A: Debris Removal, Category B: Emergency Protective Measures, and Category Z: Management Cost, Procurement Procedures, Environmental and Historic Preservation and Mitigation, Alternate and Improved Projects, and utilizing the Grants Portal.
Targeted audiences for the training are Public Assistance Sub-Recipients and Applicants for Public Assistance from both the government and non-government organization.
The Public Assistance Training has been taking place at the Pacific Islands Club since Wednesday, April 27, facilitated by FEMA trainers Tom Matalino, Jr. and Nanette Alo, and Procurement Disaster Assistance Team program specialists Chris Simone and John Griego.
IRP coordinator Marianne Concepcion-Teregeyo, for her part, said in an interview that IRP’s only goal is to not only harden the CNMI’s infrastructure, but to harden the CNMI government’s capacity as well.
“In this case, the Public Assistance Office and their sub-recipients are able to understand and identify necessary actions and documents that FEMA requires before and after a storm. The trainings that we offer are in coordination with FEMA IRC. We ask IRP stakeholders what types of trainings they need and we coordinate with FEMA IRC. There are four two-day sessions and the majority of the participants are government agency employees who work with PAO for ongoing FEMA-funded projects under the Public Assistance Office,” she said.
For more information, contact IRP at (670) 664-4775/6/7 or email irp@irp.gov.mp or info@pa.gov.mp
