Acting Governor Jude U. Hofschneider on Thursday signed Executive Order No. 2022-09, declaring a major disaster and state of significant emergency arising from the burning of the super typhoon waste and debris site on the island of Tinian.
Executive Order No. 2022-09 states, “On June 19, 2022, a grass fire started on the island of Tinian. This fire spread and grew in intensity until it reached a location where waste and debris from Super Typhoon Yutu was being sorted and stored for disposal. Much of the waste and debris stored at the site included “white good” waste, e-waste, tires, batteries and other debris that contained toxic chemicals dangerous or otherwise unhealthy for humans.”
This fire on Tinian has been contained and extinguished, but it has caused noxious smoke and fumes to drift throughout neighboring residents, remaining a threat to their health. In consultation with the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office and other agencies, Acting Governor believes that a declaration of major disaster and a state of significant emergency is warranted, and has authorized the Secretary of Finance to be able to access, reprogram, or transfer funds from accounts of Executive Branch departments and agencies, including autonomous or independent entities to fund the containment, mitigation, and remediation of the threat to the health and welfare of the people of Tinian.
“This is an important issue that needs to be addressed immediately, to mitigate the effects of the incident and ensure the health and safety of the people of Tinian. I am in communication with Mayor Edwin Aldan to work to address this imminent concern. I commend the Tinian Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Department of Public Safety, and all the agencies for their response to mitigate the fire,” said Acting Governor Hofschneider.
“In addition, I am confident in the abilities of the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office, the CNMI Office of Planning and Development, and our local agencies in prioritizing resources and finding solutions to mitigate this situation. Equally important, I would like to thank the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their partnership in working with us to assist in addressing this critical situation” stated Acting Governor Hofschneider.
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