Maui’s wildfires: A CNMI warning

The truth of the matter is we in the Kagman peninsula are hanging by a thread when it comes to a natural disaster occurring on the peninsula. I missed Mass to meet the deadline for this to be in Monday’s paper in hopes the timing is right to make our leaders listen.

History has taught us that governments often fail in their fiduciary duty to protect people even when they are warned of impending dangers. Maui officials were warned about their inadequate emergency response system for the people and their system failed to warn the people, with 80 dead and anticipating more. We can’t ignore the oversight of no alternate exit like in buildings and we can’t depend on Facebook to warn everyone. We only have one siren at MHS when we need sirens all over the island, with only one road out of Kagman. I’m hoping and praying the failure in Maui’s warning system for evacuation failure will put our leaders on notice to do something before it’s too late.

I have periodically written about the need for an alternate route out of Kagman for nearly two decades and the Maui fires reminded me of how important this matter is for the people of Kagman. Instead of working to make Ambrose look bad, our leaders need to be adults—man/woman enough to admit Ambrose is right and try to get it done, as this will surely be another “I told you so” even if I’m dead and gone when it happens, just like the many other “I told you so’s” that have already proved Ambrose was right!

I’m sure the feds would rather complete an alternate evacuation route from the Kagman peninsula rather than send millions in relief after people have died because they couldn’t get off the peninsula. Our first warning took place over a decade ago when a power pole fell down on the hill entering Kagman, blocking the only road out of Kagman for several hours. We were just lucky there wasn’t an emergency needing to get someone to the hospital. But we might not be so lucky the next time it happens, which is why it is truly time for our representatives, senators, and governor to get busy doing the work to get the feds to help the CNMI build the all-important alternate route out of Kagman. In fact, the alternate route is already partly done going up to the Juvenile Detention Center, but it needs to be completed and made more passable for cars. Don’t let this small issue of completing a road end up being a full-blown disaster, like history has proven time and time again. Time is not on our side, it can happen at any time!

I know, it’s just going to be another Ambrose op-ed that the powers-that-be will pretend they never read, even though time and time again I have been proven right. The problem is and has always been the same phenomenon that affects the entire world—Ambrose is not a local. Ever since my warnings about the garment industry leaving in 2005 and no one listened, it has been disappointing and frustrating to see our leaders mess up. Now there are many of my students in our government at all levels and I can only pray they haven’t been contaminated by the bias and bigotry of the older ones in our government. I say this because time is on my side, as it’s just a matter of time before something happens and the people on the Kagman peninsula are going to be trapped with no way out.

Don’t let this warning and the deaths of those people on Maui be in vain, as this is about the welfare and safety of the people in Kagman, not Ambrose; I’m just the messenger. So stop trying to kill the messenger and listen to the message, especially with the vital need for an alternate route off the Kagman peninsula before it’s too late!

Ambrose M. Bennett

Kagman III, Saipan

Wildfire