HARMON, Guam - In the aftermath of the devastation of Super Typhoon Yutu, residents of Saipan and Tinian confront damaged or destroyed homes, lost personal belongings, and the trauma of surviving a major disaster.
No one in Saipan and Tinian has been unaffected. Some have even been left with nothing. But we’re resilient. We will overcome. Despite our individual hardships we’re all determined to work as a community to support each other and help each other recover. The road ahead may be long and challenging, but as one, we can rebuild the Marianas stronger than ever.Rose Soledad, CNMI General Manager for IT&E
During and immediately after the storm, IT&E provided support to first responders as they coordinated response efforts by increasing internet capacity at the headquarters of the NMI Homeland Security & Emergency Management Office and providing power banks for responders in the field at no additional cost.
Afterwards, IT&E partnered with community groups as they organize and carry out relief missions. American Red Cross – NMI Chapter received free phones to assist with communications vital to organizing and distributing resources to help rebuild the lives of those affected in Saipan and Tinian.
The Salvation Army received portable Wi-Fi devices to support their task of providing hot meals and much needed services to local residents without power and limited access to drinking water.
Marianas Young Professionals received free phone and internet services for its Disaster Recovery Center, where residents can get food and supplies.
-IT&E’s network withstood the storm’s most intense wind and rain. Most subscribers never lost service during the storm.
-Technicians are working to restore the remaining sites that are down. As of this writing, 5 sites in Saipan are under maintenance. Sites in Tinian were severely damaged, and technicians are conducting assessments for repair.
-To ease the stress of subscribers as they focus their resources on things that need their immediate attention, IT&E has extended the October, November, and December payment due date for all CNMI accounts to December 31, 2018. Suspension has been postponed to December 31, 2018 as well.
-All postpaid subscribers received an extra 5 GB of data for free and all prepaid daily plans and data top-ups were 50% off until October 30. Home phone subscribers can make calls without power as long as they have a corded phone.
-Charging stations are in service at IT&E’s Chalan Laulau store parking lot for residents to charge phones and mobile devices. The Chalan Laulau store is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
-The TSL Plaza location is also ready to assist customers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as the power supply allows. The Tinian store remains closed until further notice. Subscribers can find up to date information about our store hours on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.
In Guam, both IT&E subscribers and associates are doing what they can to help those affected by Super Typhoon Yutu
-Subscribers will be supporting relief and recovery efforts from now until December 31 via a text-to-donate line. Funds raised will go to the American Red Cross to support its relief and recovery efforts.
-Guam’s associates have personally donated water, non-perishable food items, toiletries, batteries, containers, and other necessities to be distributed to fellow associates in Saipan and Tinian. IT&E shipped the first container full of the donations to the islands on October 31, 2018, with another container scheduled to arrive soon.
IT&E remains fully committed to supporting relief and recovery efforts and will continue to find ways to help the people of the Marianas recover.
PHOTO CAPTION: (From left) Natashia Tomokane, IT&E marketing services supervisor, and Janice Tenorio, IT&E Customer Services Manager, present Claudio K. Norita, NMI Commissioner of Fire and Emergency Management Services, with phones to assist with communications in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu.
About IT&E
IT&E has been delivering connections that matter in Guam and the Marianas for more than 35 years. IT&E is the leading provider of mobile technology and world-class telecommunications services on the widest 4G LTE data network. Learn more about IT&E at ite.net.