Signing ceremony today for CNMI typhoon plan
The CNMI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency will conduct a final plan brief and signing ceremony for the 2018 CNMI Catastrophic Typhoon Plan today, Feb. 15, at the CNMI Emergency Operations Center at 9am.
This effort kicked off in February 2016, almost two years ago. In this final meeting of the Senior Leadership Steering Committee, planners will present a brief review of the plan, its organization, and highlight critical responses developed for approval.
Once the brief is complete, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Robert Fenton, FEMA Region IX administrator, will sign the plan, committing to train, exercise and execute it.
This is the first official catastrophic plan for the CNMI.
The development of the plan is now final. The comprehensive Catastrophic Typhoon Plan presents the results of research and analysis and hard work done by the core planning team over the last two years. The final plan is a crucial component of disaster planning that addresses and provides a guide to the protocols, procedures, and division of responsibilities in emergency response.
“This plan is the result of many months of discussion dating back to late 2015 after Typhoon Soudelor devastated our islands. We will never forget the hard lessons learned from that experience, because it resulted in a call to action from every sector of our government and our community. This plan will enable us to effectively plan and respond to natural disasters within our region. I want to thank our HSEM planners and the FEMA leadership for their collective commitment to preparing our islands for the future,” said Torres.
“The [plan] involves a collective effort and provides CNMI and FEMA leadership with essential methods and effective strategies by delivering a joint plan that can be continually evaluated, and improved to better prepare for and respond to disasters,” said FEMA Region IX regional administrator, Robert Fenton. (PR)
