Termites contributed to CNMI typhoon damage

Transcript

A contractor in the Northern Marianas says termites vastly increased the damage caused by Typhoon Soudelor.  

It's been three months since the typhoon hit the territory's main island of Saipan, causing severe damage to many homes.

But a general contractor on the island, Chang Yoon Suk, told Bridget Grace that damage may have been worsened by the fact that termites weakened buildings.

CHANG YOON SUK: Saipan, actually the high humidity and high temperature island.  Really good living for human being and termites here.  At the same time the problem is the termite is making damage in the houses, so that's the reason why we had more damage by typhoon.  Actually without termite damage we can get only ten percent of damage of this typhoon.  Because of termite, old roof and structure blow.

BRIDGET GRACE: So you're saying without the termites there would have been much less damage?

CYS: Yeah, so reason why, check of many houses and two buildings just standing each other, one had the total damage from the termite, one is no termite damage.  So one, one hundred percent the roof is gone, one is just ten percent get damaged by strong winds.  So ninety percent damage because of the termite here.

BG: What does the termite do that causes that much damage?

CYS: Ok here on island we don't have good, solid roofing structure here, they use the tin so they use the lumber material here.  And actually the houses get termite damage and all the join, all the structure connecting building to roof is going to be gone.  So not only typhoon, just strong wind can lift off and take down the roof.  

BG: Do you know how many homes were weakened by the termites?

CYS: Almost 99 percent of houses got damaged here by this last typhoon.  Two months ago we had homeless people here, they stay in the shelter. They couldn't say on their house because so many damages by last typhoon.  

BG: What is it about the building design that encourages termites?

CYS: This is like a poor island, so that's why they just try to cut down the material cost.  What I design, if they just spend more material for their building, they can just build the high-roofing system with the ventilation.  And we can prevent the termite damage.  Actually the best way is to use prefabricated material so we don't need to worry about termites.  Actually the humidity attracts the termites and within one year they eat all the lumber, and all the structure inside the building.  

BG: These new building designs, would they be helpful for other countries in the Pacific?

CYS: I stayed Guam also, and we had a similar problem in Guam too, and around Saipan many islands with similar problem like Saipan.