FEMA OKs $22.1M in reimbursements

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios announced yesterday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved approximately $22.1 million in reimbursements for COVID-19-related expenses the CNMI incurred in its response to the pandemic, bringing to $36 million the total that the CNMI has received over the past 10 months of the Palacios-Apatang administration.

Palacios noted that, in a report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office last month, FEMA confirmed that it has $58 million pending reimbursements for the CNMI.

“FEMA’s approval of the $22.1-million reimbursement could not have come at a more auspicious time, given many of the financial challenges the CNMI is facing and the critical expenses we need to address to maintain essential government programs and services,” said the governor in a statement.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP) also disclosed in his e-kilili newsletter over the weekend that the Commonwealth received two more reimbursements for COVID-related expenses on Thursday, totaling $21,433,668.

Palacios said that upon assuming office earlier this year, he and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang emphasized that expediting these FEMA reimbursements would be a key priority.

He thanked the team at the CNMI Public Assistance Office for its focus on this effort and expressed his gratitude to Sablan for the role he and his office played in facilitating the reimbursements. In particular, Palacios said, Sablan’s office has been advocating for expediting FEMA’s review and award process.

“Congressman Kilili [Sablan] and his team worked tirelessly to facilitate these reimbursements and to help coordinate communication between the CNMI and FEMA,” he said.

Palacios said his office is continuing to work with Sablan to expedite the approval of the pending $58 million in reimbursement requests.

The reimbursement package, approved under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, includes $12 million in payments made by the CNMI for activities to support the administration of testing and vaccination at multiple locations on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

Palacios said the reimbursement covers the administration of 98,159 diagnostic COVID-19 tests to high-risk individuals, students and staff, healthcare workers, emergency response personnel, critical infrastructure personnel, and all other community members (general public), as well as medical support, equipment, and the distribution of supplies and disinfection services at the testing and vaccination sites.

He said the reimbursements also include $9.4 million that was paid to maintain and operate the former Mariana Resort & Spa quarantine site for residents and visitors.

From July 2021 to July 2022, the CNMI reportedly sheltered 5,749 individuals at Mariana Resort for an average five-day length of stay.

Palacios said these costs included services that include meals, cleaning, laundry services, room disinfection, trash disposal, and other things.

Early this month, the CNMI also received close to $700,000 for other quarantine sites on Tinian and Rota when they experienced a surge of infections.

Sablan said the $21.4 million reimburses the Commonwealth for the costs of maintaining a quarantine site for returning residents and visitors at the Mariana Resort during the pandemic.

Sablan said some 5,749 individuals were housed at the Mariana Resort at an average cost of $1,647 for the typical five-day period of isolation.

He said this week’s reimbursements also cover the costs to set up testing and vaccination centers at Kanoa Resort, the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center, Rota Health Center, and Tinian Health Center.

The delegate said over 98,000 diagnostic tests (at a cost of $16.08 each) were administered there to high-risk individuals and the public between July 2021 and July 2022.

He said the Commonwealth also paid for emergency medical transport for COVID-19 patients, medical equipment and supplies, and personal protective equipment, which FEMA has now reimbursed 100%.

As of Oct. 19, 2023, a total of $104.6 million in FEMA grants for COVID-19 have been awarded to the CNMI.

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios