Hazard mitigation plan workshop draws 50 stakeholders

The Hazard Mitigation Plan to Action Workshop held from Aug. 8 to 10 at the Grandvrio Resort Saipan drew 50 stakeholders and 12 presenters from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to the inaugural event.

The event functioned as a chance for local officials and subapplicants to learn how to bridge the gap between hazard mitigation planning and building a Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant application.

Last Thursday was the CNMI/FEMA Annual Consultation that addressed the challenges and opportunities specific to the CNMI’s Hazard Mitigation Grants Program with local officials.

The workshop was facilitated by the FEMA and the HMGP under the Office of the Governor, with support from the Office of Planning and Development, or OPD, in partnership with the CNMI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Phillip Wang, senior grants management specialist from FEMA Region 9 in Oakland, California, was at Thursday’s workshop and said that the turnout was a good one.

“A lot of the folks that are participating…are really engaged with this program. So, I’m really optimistic that they’re going to move forward and apply for these future grant programs,” he said.

Wang said there are two FEMA funding programs: disaster funding, which is available after an event that’s presidentially declared, and the other is an annual program that is made available on an annual basis.

In 2022, the disaster funding nationally was about $2.3 billion, and that’s why, he said, it’s “important for us to be out here because we want to make sure that NMI is aware of this and they’re really proactive in taking advantage of this funding opportunities. …We want to do everything we can to make sure that we empower the communities with a large enough information for them to want to really be proactive and build the island’s resiliency for the future—so that when something happens—nothing happens.”

Deveney Dela Cruz, HMGP audit and compliance specialist, said that, as it’s the first workshop event, “we definitely want to see how we can have it evolve and continue it for the years to come along with the consultation.”

She said one of the biggest and annual Hazard Mitigation Grant is the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities that falls under a pre-disaster grant, and the workshop walked the participants through what it entails and how much they can avail of it.

“Every single year, the CNMI gets more and more BRIC money. Back in 2020, we had $600,000 available for us—and there’s more in competitive money. Last year, we had $2,000,000. With the upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity, it might be even more. So, we wanted to get the jump on that early before that opens up, so that they can make the most of it and so we can get our islands as much funding for our projects as possible.”

Dela Cruz thanked Erin Derrington, lead planner in OPD and the OPD as a whole. Dela Cruz added that the head of their office, Elizabeth Balajadia, who is the CNMI’s State Hazard Mitigation Officer, acting OPD director, and Capital Improvement Program administrator, has been working very closely with FEMA and their team to get the event going.

They plan to have the workshop as an annual event along with the yearly consultation.

In attendance at the three-day workshop were representatives of all CNMI’s mayor’s offices, several agencies such as the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Department of Public Safety, Commonwealth Utilities Corp., Department of Public Works, Northern Marianas Technical Institute, Northern Marianas College, CNMI Public School System, Office of Planning and Development, Capital Improvement Program, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., Commonwealth Zoning Board, Department of Labor, Department of Land & Natural Resources, Department of Commerce, Department of Community & Cultural Affairs, Department of Public Lands, NMI Judiciary, Procurement Services–Department of Finance, and Northern Marianas Housing Corp.; and non-governmental agencies like the Marianas Alliance of Non-Governmental Organizations and Mariana Islands Nature Alliance.