By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
BOX House, a Utah-based housing firm, is donating 10 rapidly deployable housing units to CNMI residents who lost their homes to Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
BOX House manufactures housing units that are designed to be accessible, adaptable, and rapidly deployable, helping communities remain resilient during times of crisis. Its division, Ready Pod, is in charge of building and transporting the units to Saipan.
Gov. David M. Apatang on Tuesday met with BOX House construction director Ryan Andersen, Ready Pod President Amanda Breslin, and several CNMI residents, including veterans and their families who will receive the housing donations.
“This is a great opportunity for those who will be receiving this kind of home,” the governor said. He thanked BOX House and Ready Pod, noting that they traveled from the U.S. to make the donation.
“I appreciate you coming here to assist our veterans in their time of need. Thank you very much for the donation, especially to our veterans. I’m looking forward to seeing the houses when they’re deployed,” the governor said.
U.S. Marine veteran Georenda Satoshi, whose home in Papago was destroyed by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, thanked BOX House and Ready Pod for the donation.
“I’m very grateful. Our house got blown away, so right now we are living in a tent provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with my family, and this donation came at a very good time,” she said.
The Office of the Governor and Project Buddy Check 670 served as community partners that helped facilitate the donation.
Project Buddy Check 670 President and Special Assistant for the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Clemente Bermudes said the organization was grateful that BOX House selected veterans who lost nearly everything in the typhoon.
Without the donation, he said, it would have taken much longer for the families to rebuild.
“Building new homes for CNMI veterans means everything to the organization,” Bermudes said. He also thanked the governor for recognizing BOX House’s generosity.
Bishop Joshua Cook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said BOX House and its nonprofit arm, Winter Harbor, reached out to the church seeking families in need of housing assistance following the typhoon.
To ensure the donation reached those most in need, he said, the church partnered with the Office of the Governor and Project Buddy Check 670.
He thanked BOX House for its generosity.
Breslin said the donation would not have been possible without the collaboration of multiple government and nongovernment entities.
“The amount of energy from every department we’ve worked with to push this through has been truly impressive,” she said. “We’re honored to be part of it.”
She said the goal is to provide dignified housing.
“If we can deliver 10 units today and more in the future, that would be a fantastic outcome,” she said.
Andersen also thanked the partners involved.
“It’s an honor to be involved and to be able to do this,” he said. “Seeing all the different organizations working together to make a difference is really beautiful.”
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
