SAIPAN — Tin roof installations under the federal Temporary Emergency Roof Program will begin Wednesday for Saipan homes that lost their roofs but kept their walls intact, with the Saipan Mayor’s Office capping applications at 50 per day to keep residents from waiting in long lines, Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho said Tuesday on Good Morning Marianas.
Roof cover applications open Tuesday and run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday at the Saipan Mayor’s Office at 2799 Teer Drive Suite A.
The mayor said the first 50 applicants in line each day will be processed the same day. The next 50 will receive applications to fill out and bring back the following morning. Additional residents who arrive will be asked to return.
“It’s enough that people are suffering, and I don’t want them to spend all day out there under the sun,” the mayor said.
Eligibility is limited to homes where the roof was blown off by the wind but the four walls remain intact, the mayor said. Houses that have collapsed entirely do not qualify for the roof cover. Residents in that situation can seek FEMA Individual Assistance and related support at the Survivor Recovery Center at the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center, which opens Wednesday.
The mayor said FEMA installation crews are ready to begin work Wednesday and that military personnel will handle the installations. Treated lumber that has been stockpiled since prior typhoons has been evaluated and cleared for use, allowing the program to move quickly, he said.
About 100 tents had been installed across Saipan as of Saturday under a separate FEMA tent program, the mayor said. The mayor’s office meets with FEMA on Wednesdays and Fridays to discuss expanding the number of installation crews. Many residents currently in shelters are seeking to move into tents while permanent repairs are made.
The mayor said municipal staff had taken only one day off across the past three weeks of recovery operations and had been working six-to-six. Hours have since been adjusted to eight-to-four, he said.
The mayor urged residents to remain vigilant against opportunistic crime during recovery, citing reports of suspicious activity in some neighborhoods, and asked residents to report anything suspicious to police immediately.
FEMA is moving to contract with debris removal companies to begin clearing the green waste accumulating along village roads, the mayor said. He asked residents to be patient and to hold off on calls for residential trash collection while crews focus on major debris along the main roadways.
The mayor also asked for volunteers to help applicants fill out forms at the mayor’s office.