Bill wants beaches off-limits during risky conditions

Beaches may soon become off-limits to people during storms or high surf events if the Legislature passes a bill that seeks to empower the Department of Public Safety to close public beaches during dangerous conditions.

As proposed in the bill, violators will be issued citation tickets.

House Rep. Arnold Palacios has drafted a bill that seeks to authorize the DPS, in coordination with the Emergency Management Office, to implement temporary beach closures.

Palacios expressed alarm over the recent deaths of three women off the beach in Chalan Kanoa, the night before typhoon Tingting made its closest approach on Saipan. The women drowned in waters across the Aquarius Beach Tower.

“It is in the best interest of public safety to permit the DPS…to close public beaches during times of extremely dangerous conditions or potentially hazardous conditions,” Palacios said.

The draft measure enumerates these conditions to include high surf, tropical storm and typhoon, earthquake, potential tsunami and other “similar climatic or environmental conditions.”

According to the draft bill, the DPS, in coordination with the EMO, should notify the public of beach closures through the local media.

It seeks to authorize policemen to issue warnings or citations to persons engaged in any marine recreational activity at a closed beach site. Activities that would be banned at these times include swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, fishing, surfing, windsurfing, and boogieboarding, among others.

Meantime, the CNMI is still waiting for President Bush to declare the islands a disaster area, more than two weeks after Tingting battered the islands. Gov. Juan N. Babauta earlier expressed optimism that Bush will approve the request.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had already told Babauta that assistance under its programs is now being processed.

Governor’s Authorized Representative Vicky Villagomez said the CNMI would begin damage assessment on Rota this coming Monday. She said a FEMA representative, Iris Spanski, would go with the CNMI assessment team.

The CNMI earlier estimated road clearing work on Rota to cost the government at least $761,800, while damage to the island’s only commercial port and agriculture was placed at over $1 million and over $500,000, respectively.

Babauta asked Bush to declare a major disaster in the Commonwealth so that the islands could avail of federal assistance pursuant to Public Law 93-288, also known as the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

Based on the joint public damage assessment for Saipan and Tinian, Babauta estimated the typhoon’s damage at over $2.53 million. The governor cited significant damage to public utilities, infrastructure and agriculture on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.