--- title: "Form of Disaster" canonical: "https://anchor.is/docket/issue/29/lab/article/13518/form-of-disaster" publication: "The Docket" publisher: "The Docket" language: "en-US" guide: "https://anchor.is/docket/llms.txt" format: "The Paperwork" author: "Maya Jiménez" author_url: "https://anchor.is/docket/team/19" issue: 29 section: "lab" section_name: "The Lab" published: 2026-04-22 description: "Federal forms ask for counties, zip codes, and nearby housing. A 39-square-mile island answers in blanks." word_count: 1160 source_links: 16 --- # Form of Disaster *By [Maya Jiménez]()* *April 22, 2026* [Read on the website]() --- ## FEMA PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT — INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE Damage Assessment Survey Template v4.1.0 | Field Assessment and Collection Tool (FACT) **Event:** Super Typhoon Sinlaku **State/Territory:** Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands **County:** ~~[auto-populated]~~ N/A **Zip Code:** 96950 **Date of Event:** April 14, 2026 **~~City~~ ~~County~~ Municipality:** Saipan **Population:** [43,385 — 2020 Census](https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-census-cnmi.html). *No ACS intercensal estimate available for island areas.* **Damage Category — Destroyed:** ☒ *Per NWS field assessment: "Most structures that were not reinforced concrete don't exist anymore."* **Housing Stock:** [Approx. 45% of CNMI roofs](https://www.nmhcgov.net) tin or wood construction. Homeownership rate: 29.0%. Renter-occupied: 71.0%. Total housing units: 18,290. **Flooding — Critical Facility:** ☒ [Commonwealth Health Center](https://www.chcc.gov.mp). Sole hospital, CNMI. Severe flooding during peak storm. **Alternative Medical Facility Within Region:** Tinian Health Center. Limited-service clinic. No surgical capability. No hospital on Tinian. No hospital on Rota. **Infrastructure Status (per [FEMA Daily Operations Briefing, April 19](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSFEMA/2026/04/19)):** Power: ☒ Territory-wide outage. Restoration: weeks. Water: ☒ Boil Water Notice in effect, Saipan. Communications: ☒ Major tower system failed during storm. Roads: ☒ Key routes blocked. Damage assessments delayed. **Cause of Damage:** Sustained winds [150 mph](https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov). Gusts [185 mph](https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov). Forward speed 3–5 mph. Duration over affected area: 48–72 hours. Rainfall exceeding [20 inches](https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov). Storm diameter ~500 miles. --- ## AMERICAN RED CROSS — [SHELTER DORMITORY REGISTRATION](https://nationalmasscarestrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ShelterDormitoryRegistrationForm.pdf) DCS JT RES | V.1.0 | 2016 **DR Number:** *pending major disaster declaration* **Shelter Name/Location:** _______________ **Shelter Telephone No.:** *landlines inoperable* **Date of Arrival:** April 14, 2026 **Intake #:** 847 of ______ **Head of Household (Last Name):** _______________ **Individuals by Age Group:** Adults (18–64): __ Seniors (65+): __ Children (6–17): __ Children (0–5): 1 **Pre-Disaster Address:** _______________ **~~County:~~** Village: _______________ **State:** MP **Zip:** 96950 **Post-Disaster Address (if known):** _______________ **Method of Transportation to Shelter:** *on foot. Blue Line 1B suspended. Call-A-Ride limited to essential medical trips only — dialysis, prescriptions, clinic visits. Roads partially impassable.* **Primary Language:** ☐ English ☒ Chamorro ☐ Carolinian ☐ Tagalog ☐ Other: ____ **Does the client have a service animal, use a wheelchair/walker, or demonstrate any other circumstance where it appears they may need help in the shelter?** _______________ **Is there anything you or a member of your family needs right now to stay healthy while in the shelter?** *baby formula* **If not, is there anything you know you will need in the next 6–8 hours?** --- ## PROPERTY INSURANCE CLAIM — INTAKE **Policy Number:** _______________ **Type of Coverage:** ☐ Homeowner's ☐ Renter's ☐ Wind ☐ Flood (NFIP) **NFIP Flood Zone Determination:** *FIRM Map Number [6900000034C](https://www.fema.gov), effective 4/3/2006.* *[System note: Map is 20 years old. FEMA Risk MAP Discovery for CNMI completed January 2021 — first phase only. Discovery report identified need to "ensure continued functionality of and access to Commonwealth Health Center during flood" and "improve drainage of Garapan District." Both facilities flooded during this event.]* **Estimated Value of Damaged Property:** _______________ **Prior Claims History:** _______________ *[System note: Per [FEMA PDA, Super Typhoon Yutu, 2018](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-91.pdf): over 700 residences impacted, fewer than 6% insured. No updated insurance penetration data available for CNMI island areas.]* --- ## [SBA DISASTER HOME LOAN APPLICATION — FORM 5C](https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-5c-disaster-home-loan-application) OMB Control No. 3245-0017 **Event:** Super Typhoon Sinlaku **Damaged Property Address:** _______________ **~~City~~ Village:** San Jose **State:** MP **Zip:** [96952](https://zipcode.org/96952) **County:** N/A *[System note: ZIP 96952 = Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands. County field returns N/A. ELA declaration search requires valid state and county to generate list of open declarations. No match found.]* **Island Municipality Area:** 39 sq mi **Population:** [2,044](https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-census-cnmi.html) **Type of Structure:** ☐ Single-family detached ☐ Townhouse ☐ Condominium ☐ Manufactured home ☒ Other: *concrete block walls, tin roof, single-story* **Insurance on Damaged Property:** ☐ Homeowner's ☐ Flood (NFIP) ☐ Wind ☒ None **Collateral Available** *(required for physical damage loans exceeding $50,000):* ☐ Real estate ☐ Other *Applicant is renter. 71.0% of CNMI housing units are renter-occupied. No real estate collateral available.* **Description of Damage** *(500 character limit):* *Roof removed by sustained winds. Tin sheeting gone, wood framing collapsed inward. Interior exposed to over 20 inches rainfall across 48 hours. All personal property destroyed. No power — no restoration timeline. My mother requires dialysis three times weekly. Tinian Health Center has no surgical capability, no dialysis. Roads to port blocked. Ferry service suspended. Next hospital is Guam, ~125 miles across open ocean. She has missed two sessions. Call-A-Ride essential trips only. Please hel* **[CHARACTER LIMIT REACHED]** --- ## [DISASTERASSISTANCE.GOV](https://www.disasterassistance.gov) — FEMA INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION > Select a state to see if your county is in a declared area and apply online for assistance. **State/Territory:** Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands **County:** [N/A ▾] ⚠ **No open Individual Assistance declarations found for your area.** *[April 21, 2026 — seven days post-landfall. [Major disaster declaration request](https://nminewsservice.com) forwarded to President. Individual Assistance not yet authorized. Direct grants to residents not accessible.]* --- ## [FEMA FORM FF-104-FY-21-115](https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_continued-temporary-housing-assistance-form.pdf) REQUEST FOR CONTINUED TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE **Certification** *(check all that apply):* ☐ I do not own a secondary or vacation home **within a reasonable distance** of my disaster-damaged home that is available for my housing needs. ☐ I am looking for permanent housing within my budget that is **within reasonable commuting distance** from work and/or school. **Temporary Housing Unit Type:** ☐ House ☐ Apartment ☐ Condominium ☐ Manufactured home ☐ Recreational vehicle ☐ Other **Alternative housing options within 50 miles:** _______________ *[System note: Tinian municipality — 39 sq mi. Saipan municipality — 46.5 sq mi. Saipan housing stock also damaged. No additional islands within 50-mile radius. Nearest undamaged housing: Guam, ~125 miles. CNMI is 3,700 miles from nearest U.S. state. Search returned 0 results.]* **Prior Disaster Cross-Reference:** *[DR-4404-MP, Super Typhoon Yutu, October 24, 2018. Same islands. [FEMA Permanent Housing Construction program](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-91.pdf): 30% of homes completed and returned to survivors as of October 2020. GAO finding: "delays implementing its Permanent Housing Construction program in the CNMI due to contracting shortfalls and lack of experienced staff." Consistent with "lessons learned from prior FEMA missions in other remote areas of the U.S."]* **Date:** _______________ **Signature:** _______________ ## Things to follow up on... - **FEMA funding at risk:** A [stalemate in Congress over DHS funding](https://www.stthomassource.com), driven partly by disputes over immigration enforcement, could directly limit the disaster relief dollars available to CNMI residents still waiting for Individual Assistance authorization. - **Yutu's unfinished recovery:** The GAO found that only [30% of FEMA permanent housing construction was completed](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-91.pdf) two years after Super Typhoon Yutu hit the same islands in 2018, meaning Sinlaku struck communities still living inside the previous disaster's reconstruction gap. - **The Dutch court precedent:** In January 2026, a Hague District Court [ruled that the Netherlands had discriminated against residents of the Caribbean island of Bonaire](https://climatechangenews.com) by failing to protect them from climate consequences, ordering legally binding adaptation plans for the territory. - **Ocean temperatures driving intensification:** Sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific were [3–5°F above recent averages](https://yaleclimateconnections.org) in the days before Sinlaku's rapid intensification, consistent with a developing marine heatwave that climate scientists say could fuel a potential super El Niño later in 2026. ## More - [The Lab — Issue 29]() - [Issue 29]() - [Publication guide]()