CNMI hopes for hefty reimbursement from FEMA

9:54 am on 21 March 2019

The Northern Marianas is asking for more than $US200 million in reimbursement from federal coffers after last year's super Typhoon Yutu.

A school building is damaged after Super Typhoon Yutu

A school building is damaged after Super Typhoon Yutu Photo: RNZ Pacific / Mark Rabago

It's submitted a $US210 million reimbursement request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The administration of governor Ralph Torres, however, said the request is currently an estimate and could be amended once all the data of the costs from Yutu are added up.

As of last week, government obligations for Yutu had reached $US164 million, which doesn't include costs incurred by the Public School System and other autonomous agencies.

Last week, the CNMI also submitted a $US30 million plan for an underground power system in key areas of Saipan and Tinian to the federal government.

The underground power system aims to ensure federal authorities will not have to assist and rebuild electricity infrastructure each time there's a typhoon.

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