The Department of Public Works is struggling to complete the debris-clearing process, two months after Super Typhoon Yutu laid waste to parts of Saipan and Tinian. <\/p>\n
According to Enrique Dela Cruz, Department of Public Works Solid Waste Management director, DPW has been working with the Saipan Mayor\u2019s Office to clear the island of typhoon debris but it has been a struggle.<\/p>\n
Dela Cruz added that Super Typhoon Yutu is the worst storm, in terms of debris, he has ever seen in all his years in the CNMI. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying our best. Right now, both the mayor\u2019s office and DPW have trucks and are going out there picking up all the typhoon debris along the roads. \u2026There\u2019s a lot of trash actually, I don’t know how much, but it\u2019s too much. \u2026It\u2019s a struggle right now,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Dela Cruz laments a lack of proper equipment. \u201cThe struggle right now is mostly the equipment, like grabbers and more dump trucks,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
With the right kind of equipment, like the grabbers, Dela Cruz said, the department could efficiently pick up more typhoon debris faster because the machines are designed to do so. The machines would also eliminate the need for manual debris pickup and loading. <\/p>\n
Dela Cruz said there are still loads of trash littering the southern side of the island, two months following Super Typhoon Yutu.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been over a month and it\u2019s getting bad\u2026when you drive, you can see all this debris along the main road way. There\u2019s lumber, roofing tin, furniture, appliances, some of municipal waste,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The department has also been struggling with the process of throwing typhoon debris into the Marpi Landfill because there is so much trash to sort through. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still sorting the trash so if you go to the dump, it’s a mountain of tin, lumber, debris,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
To speed up the sorting process, Dela Cruz said, the department has set up a staging area in As Gonno, Koblerville. <\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026We set up a place in As Gonno as a staging site for mixed debris and from there we\u2019re going to start separating before bringing it up to the landfill,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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