Immediately following the first emergency call, members of the CNMI Response Alert Coordinators team converged at the Emergency Operations Center to set up the state incident command center.
With the activation of the Incident Command Center at the EOC, the island’s lone hospital immediately closed its perimeter fence and restricted entry only to public health staff and patients and family members of patients.
The Department of Public Health also established an Incident Command Center within their vicinity.
The first reported incident involved an unknown vessel at the Port of Saipan.
Upon investigation, the authorities discovered suspicious activity and emission of a chemical odor from the vessel.
Officers of the Department of Public Safety got on board the vessel and apprehended a boat captain and four crewmembers who were caught in the process of hijacking the vessel.
In addition to the five apprehended individuals, two others were transported to the Commonwealth Health Center to be treated for what seemed to be a chemical-related illness.
The investigation revealed that the odor was stemming from a result of emissions of a chemical known as Radium 226.
Following the seaport incident, authorities responded to an explosion behind the Kagman Fire Station.
When authorities arrived, they discovered a collapsed structure with personnel buried under the rubble.
After authorities managed to sort through the debris, a total of seven victims were immediately transported to CHC for medical attention.
At this point, CHC called in a request for 25 additional decontamination personnel to assist with the load of victims starting to arrive.
In a third related terrorist incident, authorities responded to an emergency call at a Navy Hill water reservoir suspected to have been contaminated by an active chlorine gas leak.
Investigators found that the leak was intentional and classified as an act of terror.
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s Hazmat team arrived and secured and cleared the area at 1:45 p.m.
