By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
MORE than a month after Super Typhoon Sinlaku made landfall in the Northern Mariana Islands, grounded fishing vessels remain at Smiling Cove Marina as contractors continue dredging the storm-altered channel to restore safe passage for recreational boats and commercial fishing vessels.
Over the past week, crews have been removing large deposits of sand shifted by Sinlaku’s powerful surge, which narrowed portions of the marina channel and complicated navigation for boat operators. The dredging is part of ongoing efforts to stabilize harbor operations disrupted when the typhoon inundated coastal areas and scattered debris across Saipan’s shoreline.
Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Sylvain Igisomar told Variety that DLNR will issue an official statement on the dredging and related activities through the governor’s office. He said the department is coordinating with contractors and harbor users to ensure the channel is cleared as quickly and safely as possible.
Sinlaku caused extensive coastal damage across Saipan, Tinian and Rota, leaving marinas, ports and shoreline infrastructure among the hardest-hit sectors still undergoing recovery.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
