National partners join CNMI in strengthening disaster recovery

10/01/2025 - When typhoons batter the Northern Marianas, recovery often stretches years beyond the headlines. Families patch roofs with tarps, neighbors share generators, island leaders navigate a maze of federal aid, and high school and college students still go to class in temporary fabric structures. 

But last month, a visiting team of national disaster recovery experts reminded the CNMI that it does not have to face the next storm alone.

Representatives from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, Emergency Legal Responders, and Micronesian Legal Services met with local officials, nonprofit leaders, and community advocates to talk through disaster recovery challenges unique to the CNMI. Their message was simple but powerful: building relationships now means better resilience later.

“We're here first and foremost to learn, to learn about this region's experiences with recent typhoons, to learn about the expertise that this region has in responding to disasters, and to learn about the region's needs when it comes to disasters,” said Noah Patton, director of Disaster Recovery at the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.”

By understanding the CNMI’s experiences with past typhoons, Patton said they can more easily keep the CNMI’s needs in mind when they eventually go back to Washington, D.C., where they’re involved in shaping national recovery policy.

The group’s visit was born out of connections made at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster conference earlier this year. What began as conversations about recovery after tornadoes in Kentucky quickly turned into a commitment to connect island communities with national partners.

For local organizations, the benefit of such networking is immediate. Jane Mack, directing attorney of Micronesian Legal Services’ CNMI office, stressed that coalition-building is the backbone of effective disaster response. 

“We're so happy to have them here as collaborative partners, not just with Micronesian Legal Services, but with every agency, government, and non-governmental organization in the area that has anything to do with disasters or housing, so that we can have more assistance when we need it,” she said.

Amelia Hoppe, executive director of Emergency Legal Responders, said even if she and Patton are from the U.S. mainland, people in the Marianas are never alone when disasters strike as they’re all one community. 

“It's the community that takes care of a community, and it's really important to expand your community and figure that out altogether. And so that's why I think that this is so meaningful and so impactful, and it is to create a relationship that continues and not just be a flyover or stopover and to continue to learn from each other, continue conversations, because the thing is, it's not if a disaster's going to happen, it's when a disaster's going to happen.”

That interconnectedness is vital in the island context. Guam’s experience during Typhoon Mawar illustrated how one island’s crisis ripples across the region. With Guam’s airport offline and resources tied up, the CNMI also felt the strain. Building stronger regional and national ties ensures that such cascading impacts are better understood—and better addressed.

It’s a lesson Heidi Simpson, directing attorney of MLSC’s Guam office, knows too well.

“We also, I think, didn't really fully leverage MLSC's capacity to collaborate with our other islands as well, because one of the things that everybody probably knows out here already is how important Guam can be in the interconnectedness of our islands, because so much of the transit goes through Guam, because there's so many resources that are only available on Guam or that are easiest to access in Guam,” she said.

At an afternoon meeting with members of the CNMI Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, the visiting group emphasized collaboration across government, NGOs, faith-based organizations, and private businesses. 

Attendees included the Saipan Mayor’s Office, Karidat Social Services, federal representatives, and community advocates. Together, they explored how pre-disaster planning, especially around housing and shelter, could shorten recovery timelines.

While technical details ranged from federal housing regulations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s role within the Department of Homeland Security, the takeaway was clear: Relationships matter as building trust before the next typhoon means quicker, smarter responses when lives and homes are at stake.

“Having a container to talk about disasters is like something that doesn't really happen that often. So, to have so many different groups from various fields, backgrounds, and experiences, having a conversation about disasters and how we can mitigate the damages after disasters is incredibly important and valuable because we, I mean, disasters do not discriminate on state or territory boundaries, and we need to do the same,” said Hoppe.

Report by Mark Rabago