CNMIDR

CNMI Public Assistance Office

Objective

The CNMI Public Assistance Office administers the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program.

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as Amended (Stafford Act), Title 42 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) § 5121 et seq., authorizes the President to provide Federal assistance when the magnitude of an incident or threatened incident exceeds the affected State, Territorial, Indian Tribal, and local government capabilities to respond or recover.

The purpose of the Public Assistance (PA) Grant program is to support communities’ recovery from major disasters by providing them with grant assistance for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure.

The CNMI Public Assistance Office is an office under the Office of the Governor. Current staff members include the Public Assistance Officer, Project Specialists and Coordinators, a Project Engineer, Technical and Financial Analysts, and a Risk Officer. All members have received and continue to receive training and support from FEMA and other partners.

Types of Assistance

The Public Assistance Program provides reimbursement grants for both emergency work and permanent work activities.

Emergency work may include such activities as debris removal, sheltering, power and water restoration, maintaining health and safety in the community, transportation for emergency relief efforts, and other measures to protect life and reduce property damage to critical facilities and infrastructure.

Permanent work includes recovery activities to restore public facilities and certain eligible private non- profit entities back to pre-disaster condition or to more resilient facilities through hazard mitigation actions that reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property.