FEMA staff dies due to flu-like symptoms
A staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has died in the Commonwealth.
Details of the death of Thomas Stilwell have yet to be provided, except that he “battled influenza-like symptoms,” according to the Governor’s Office.
“As of now, the only details that we know of are that Mr. Thomas Stilwell passed away peacefully at [the Commonwealth Health Center] last Saturday evening. He battled influenza-like symptoms,” press secretary Ivan Blanco said in an email.
He said members of Stilwell’s family are now en route to Saipan and are expected to arrive last night.
Gov. Eloy S. Inos has extended his condolences and has offered assistance to Stilwell’s family
“On behalf of the people of the CNMI, I express my deepest sympathies to the family of Mr. Thomas Stilwell and to his FEMA colleagues. Mr. Stilwell’s untimely passing last Saturday night is a great loss for his family, his FEMA colleagues, and for the people of the CNMI,” Inos, in a statement, said.
The governor is also asking “every citizen of our Commonwealth to join me in keeping Mr. Stilwell’s family in our prayers as we offer our condolences and deepest sympathies.”
“I understand Mr. Stilwell’s family is en route to Saipan, and I want to offer any assistance they may need during this difficult time,” Inos said.
FEMA
FEMA has yet to release a statement on the passing of Stilwell.
The agency has been assisting the CNMI in the wake of Typhoon Soudelor through disaster-related financial assistance programs and deploying numerous staff on the field.
In its latest update last week, FEMA said the total number of housing inspections has reached 2,005 households and more than 7,500 registrations have been received by the agency.
More than $4.29 million have been approved for disaster-related assistance, the agency said.
Survivors are still being encouraged to register for assistance.
September 2, 2015,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of a recent on duty death in
our DHS family.
Mr. Thomas Stilwell, a FEMA Reservist passed away on Saturday night, August 29, 2015, while deployed to the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). He was 65 years old.
In early August, President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the
CNMI, and made federal assistance available to individuals and communities to
help them recover and rebuild from Typhoon Soudelor. Dedicated DHS employees, including members of the FEMA Reservist Program like Mr. Stilwell, traveled across the globe to staff the Joint Field Office and help the people of Saipan.
FEMA Reservists like Mr. Stillwell are temporary, intermittent employees poised
to support federal disasters and other emergency incidents at a moment’s
notice. As part of the expeditionary FEMA workforce, these employees perform
critical disaster field activities implementing our programs anywhere they are
needed to support disaster survivors and communities across our nation.
Like many FEMA Reservists, Mr. Stillwell was a retired federal employee who
chose to return and support FEMA, and most importantly those impacted by
disasters, in a different capacity. He spent decades working for the FEMA
Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) program where his technical expertise was vital in more than 100 federal disaster responses. As a Reservist, he was able to continue that commitment to public service.
Mr. Stilwell leaves behind his wife Carol, two daughters, and two
grandchildren. His daughter Jessica also works for the FEMA MERS Program. We honor his service and his family’s sacrifice. His dedication represents those
who strive every day to keep our homeland safe and secure, whether within our
own communities, or far from home.
Sincerely,
Jeh Charles Johnson
Secretary of Homeland Security