Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1, Detachment Guam (Det. Guam), continue recovery work on Tinian in the wake of Super Typhoon Yutu.
Commander Task Force 75 Sailors have provided Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ civil and local officials as part of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Yutu recovery efforts since Oct. 25.
“The Naval Construction Force is trained and equipped to quickly respond to natural disasters and we were able to deploy quickly from Guam in order to support cleanup efforts on Tinian,” said Commander, Task Group 75.5 Capt. Steve Stasick. “I am very proud of NMCB 1 for all their hard work and dedication to be the first unit on the ground providing initial recovery response.”
Strong rain and destructive winds of up to 180 mph from Yutu had uprooted trees, downed power lines and tore metal sheeting off roofs of homes, stores and public buildings.
Sailors assisted with clearing roofs and installing new beams and metal roofing sheets during emergency temporary roofing to 24 structures with four more ongoing. These structures included homes and Tinian Elementary School. Along with emergency temporary roofing NMCB-1 conducted debris removal of over 160-thousand cubic feet of debris, across 62 miles of roads.
With weeks of efforts in clearing and building, NMCB-1 continues to have a long-lasting positive effect on the local community.
“We remain committed to helping our neighbors on Tinian and continue to work with FEMA to develop a plan to turn over long term recovery efforts to local and federal authorities when the time is right,” said Stasick.
DSCA provides an immediate response by temporarily employing Department of Defense resources to save lives, alleviate human suffering, or mitigate property damage within the United States and its territories.
