SAIPAN — The shelter population across the CNMI dropped by 186 as of April 30, falling to 302 residents across facilities on Saipan and Tinian, according to Joint Information Center Update 021 issued Friday evening. Rota has achieved full restoration of both power and water, while Saipan and Tinian remain fully without grid power on Day 19 of recovery from Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
Power
Saipan’s power grid remains 100 percent offline with 15,624 customers still without electricity, including 11,769 residential accounts. A total of 624 power poles are confirmed down and 552 transformers are out of service. EPA and FEMA have begun hazardous materials cleanup, with 46 damaged transformers retrieved as of April 30.
At Plants 1 and 2, wall repairs to prevent water ingress into switchgear are 75 percent complete. Diesel Engine 1 was placed on a test run but automatically tripped due to an auxiliary power supply issue. Troubleshooting is ongoing. Diesel Engine 2 is undergoing blower heating of its generator windings. Plant 3’s backup generator is operational, producing 2,112 kWh. Plant 4 is operational at a peak load of 1 MW with 17,937 kWh produced April 28. Coordination between CUC and Aggreko for synchronization with Plant 4 is underway to allow additional electrical load.
Feeder work continues across multiple sectors. Kiya 3’s S3 Lift Station has been isolated and is ready to be energized, pending linecrew opening of fuse cut-outs. FEMA’s Debris Task Force has cleared Chalan Kiya Road. The FEMA generator at Kiya Substation was installed April 28.
On Tinian, feeder assessments are 90 percent complete. All feeders remain offline with 1,059 customers out. A Rota line crew of five staff arrived April 27 to assist. The station power backup generator came online April 29.
Rota is fully restored on both feeders, with only 8 customers remaining without power due to individual infrastructure damage.
Water
Saipan water production stands at 8.9 million gallons per day, representing 63 percent of capacity. Customer access is at 49 percent, with 4,311 of 8,758 customers served. Half of the island’s 138 wells and facilities are online, none of which are connected to the CUC power grid. The boil water notice remains in effect. Effective Friday, the Koblerville and Kagman water filling stations are closed. The remaining four stations are open daily: Capitol Hill (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Puerto Rico, Chalan Kanoa and Tuturam-San Vicente (all 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.).
All CUC wastewater facilities continue on emergency generators. Six lift stations are being bypassed using septic hauler trucks to prevent overflows.
Tinian water is 98 percent online. A damage assessment of the Tinian Water Tank roof is pending a cost estimate. The boil water notice remains in effect. Rota is 100 percent restored and the precautionary boil water notice was lifted April 22.
Kanat Tabla has zero water service as of April 30. Calhoun is at 25 percent, Dandan at 20 percent, San Vicente at 20 percent and As Matuis at 45 percent.
Shelters
Nine shelter sites remain active on Saipan: Marianas High School (two locations), Oleai Head Start, Koblerville Elementary School, Kagman Community Center, Kagman High School, Dandan Head Start, Garapan Elementary School and DCCA Kagman Community Center. Tinian shelters include Tinian Elementary School and Magdalena M. Hofschneider Tinian Head Start. The total population has dropped to 302, a decrease of 186 from the previous count.
Communications
One carrier has restored 97 percent of Saipan coverage, with newly restored areas including Navy Hill, Sadog Tasi and San Vicente. A second carrier has restored most of Saipan’s mobile service. Tinian is at 100 percent mobile service restoration. Rota mobile is fully restored, with approximately 75 percent of home internet, cable and phone services back online.
Federal Assistance
DCCA’s Nutrition Assistance Program has received USDA approval for a 63 percent automatic benefit replacement for all active April 2026 NAP recipients. No application is required — funds will be credited to EBT cards within 5 to 10 business days. A hot food waiver allowing NAP benefits to be used for prepared foods is in effect through May 27. Contact the NAP Office at (670) 237-2800.
FEMA Individual Assistance is available for eligible residents at DisasterAssistance.gov, the FEMA App or by phone at (800) 621-3362 or (671) 735-1050. SBA disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits are available at sba.gov/disaster or (800) 659-2955.
Airport and Ports
Saipan International Airport continues daytime operations only due to damaged navigational aids. FAA representatives are on-island assessing damage to navaids and the air traffic control tower. Jetway 2 is operational; Jetway 6 is under repair. United Airlines is operating daily from Guam, arriving 8:50 a.m. and departing 9:55 a.m. MACS and Star Marianas Air are operating daytime commuter and cargo flights.
The Port of Saipan is open for commercial cargo without restrictions. Tinian’s port is open to commercial traffic but limited to daylight operations. Rota West Harbor’s commercial berths remain closed by U.S. Coast Guard order due to hazards at Berths 1 and 2.
Public Safety
All beaches on Saipan and Tinian are open, though DPS advises caution due to possible debris in the water. All Rota beaches remain closed. Traffic signals remain non-functional across Saipan — treat all dark intersections as four-way stops. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles remains closed; driver’s license and registration fees are waived during the closure. DPS is conducting routine patrols at FEMA generators at water well sites.
