Saipan

Jorge Gino Bernados' body was initially to be repatriated to the Philippines at the request of his family, but was instead wrongly cremated and sent to another family in Hawaii.

The mistake was only discovered during the supposed public viewing of Mr Bernados' remains.

Mr Bernados' ashes have since been retrieved from Hawaii and are being taken to the Philippines by his brother.

The body mistaken for Mr Bernados has also now been cremated and rightfully sent to his family in Hawaii.

Court documents showed Dmitrii Makarenko was arrested in Saipan in December and will be brought to the US to be tried.

In 2017, Dmitrii Makarenko was charged in Florida with conspiring and attempting to export defense articles without a license and money laundering.

Florida's Southern District Court issued a warrant for his arrest on the same day.

Late last month, Mr Makarenko was arrested, and he appeared in the US District Court for the Northern Marianas on December 31.

Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona granted a motion to transfer him to Florida.

The Hong Kong-based company plans to spend $US550 million on the 400-room project on Saipan which was to be finished by August.

It cited the impact of Typhoon Soudelor, difficulty in shipping materials to Saipan, and dearth of workers as reasons for the delay.

The company has also received an extension on its operation of Best Sunshine Live, a temporary casino training facility.

Photo: Supplied./ Mark Rabago The Imperial Pacific Resort on Saipan. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given just over $20 million in assistance to households on the island.

In addition the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved nearly $5.9 million in low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, and businesses.

The bulk of the federal funding has gone on household assistance, covering rents and repairs.

It has also provided money for items such as uninsured damage to an essential vehicle, disaster-related moving and storage expenses, and some medical and dental costs.

The CNMI's first operational casino was forced to close down on Friday amid widespread visitor cancellations.

Since Soudelor battered Saipan on August 2nd, more than 9,000 tourists have cancelled their trips to the CNMI, resulting in lost revenue of US$24 million dollars.

While Tinian was not that badly affected its struggles result from the devastation on neighbouring Saipan, the territory's international air hub.

Hundreds of people have sought federal aid and remain without water and electricity after the storm hit nine days ago.

The Marianas Visitors' Authority says 7,000 prospective visitors have cancelled their trips to what is now a disaster zone.

The Authority's managing director, Perry Tenorio, says the typhoon caused the shutdown of night flights, which sparked many cancellations by tourists from countries like China, South Korea, and Japan.

The typhoon's sustained winds destroyed several hundred homes leaving many needing help.

Kevin Bautista from the Emergency Management office, says 90 percent of roadways have now been cleared of debris and a shipment of fuel is due next week.

Mr Bautista says over 25 percent of the island now has limited water capacity and that figure is increasing daily.

More than 1300 residents have applied for Federal relief assistance and a US Navy ship carrying substantial aid arrived in Saipan on the weekend.

DeBlasio commended the Marines and the Navy for bringing FEMA relief supplies to the islands.

Marine Maj. Joseph Montedoro and Daniel Duhan of the Navy said they will remain on island until their mission is completed which is to help Saipan generate power and water again and to distribute food to those who need it.

DeBlasio said they will “work simultaneously on everything — we have the resources.”

Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Maryann Q. Lizama said the airport can only accommodate flights from sunrise to sunset

“We are working full time to repair the damage to the navigational aids and facilities. Full operations will be announced on a later date as the Federal Aviation Administration and CPA are working on getting all the navigational aids working as soon as possible.”

According to Lizama, CPA will provide updates as repairs progress.

As of Tuesday, Saipan still had no power. Gasoline stations were rationing their supplies if they still had some left.

Debris was all over the island, and some roads remained blocked by fallen trees or power poles — or both. All hotels, big or small, were fully booked but were already running out of some key supplies.

Some establishments were running on generators but they had to scale down their operations to save on fuel.

Variety was told that it may take weeks — or months — before the Commonwealth Utilities Corp (CUC) can fully restore its system.