Disaster preparedness drill at CNMI schools: ’Konfitma 2024 successful’

PHOTOS: “The 2024 Konfitma exercises were successful,” CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Public Information Officer Bernard Villagomez said on Wednesday. “It's very important that we practice all these exercises just in case a real-world scenario was to happen, which we don't want, but it's better to be prepared for the CNMI community, for the students, for the government responders to test their capabilities. So, when the real incident happens, we're prepared, and we can protect the CNMI community,” he added. “The main challenge is coordinating with the different agencies, and because of the sensitivity of the scenarios with over 100 personnel from various agencies, communication is very important. As well as communicating with the community and the parents regarding the ongoing increased activity of first responders at various locations in Kagman area,” Villagomez said.
Marianas Variety

Pacific Islands Conservation Corps interns work on wildfire recovery in Guam and CNMI

Via a partnership among the National Park Service, AmeriCorps, and the Kupu Aina Corps, a conservation nonprofit in Hawaii, five young adult residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are working on wildfire recovery and climate change-related resilience projects in parks in those two U.S. territories. Those five Pacific Islands Conservation Corps interns help remove fire-prone invasive plant species and restore lands with fire-resistant native species. And they perform other duties that beautify and fortify park lands and waters, too. Simultaneously, the interns, whose terms last one year, receive career development training, career guidance, and hands-on experience. “The difference it’s making for these program participants to be able to help their families while they are also developing themselves is significant,” said Ernestine White, the NPS lead for the program.
Saipan Tribune