NMTECH classes to restart Monday after campus-wide flooding

Classes at the Northern Marianas Technical Institute will restart on Monday, Feb. 2, weather permitting, after heavy rainfall earlier this week flooded nearly the entire NMTECH campus, forcing the cancellation of classes.

NMTECH safety officer and operations manager Travis Jones confirmed that NMTECH chief executive officer Jodina Attao that classes at the Lower Base trades and technical school would likely resume on Monday.

“We're cleaning today, it's going to take us the rest of the week, of course, we're on austerity as well, so we were off on Friday anyway. Classes are Monday through Thursday, but it's going to take us through the end of tomorrow to do the final cleanup.”

Jones said he was notified around 5am last Jan. 26 after campus security cameras showed extensive flooding caused by roughly 7 inches of rain. When he arrived, parking areas were ankle-deep in water, and 2-3 inches of water covered most classrooms and offices.

“I rushed in, and the parking lots were flooded everywhere out in front, all over the side, the streets were flooded, the main street coming in between the Capitol Hill lights and Saipan Ice lights was completely flooded and washed out, so I knew that there were going to be issues here,” he said.

The flooding affected almost all facilities, including automotive, heavy equipment, welding, computer labs, maritime classrooms and offices, administrative offices, conference rooms, and core classrooms. Only areas with raised floors, such as the electrical room and portions of the bay area, avoided flooding.

Jones said the water appeared to come up from the ground rather than entering from outside, likely due to saturated soil and overwhelmed city storm drainage systems as runoff flowed downhill toward the campus.

Cleanup began immediately, with staff purchasing three sump pumps and working up to 10-12 hours to remove standing water once the city storm sewers cleared. By about 5pm the next day, Jan. 27, the campus was roughly 90% cleaned.

Jones said Rep. Joel Camacho also sent staff to assist with the cleanup.

No major damage to furniture or equipment was reported, Jones said, noting that most furnishings are metal and floors are concrete or tile. He added that waterproof drywall installed after a previous flooding incident last October helped limit damage.

Jones said staff are using the remainder of the week to complete final cleaning and sanitation to ensure a safe environment for students and faculty before classes resume.

“They're coming in, they're sanitizing desks, they're sanitizing chairs, so when you come back, there's going to be no worry of an unhealthy atmosphere, and we're just excited to get classes going again.”

Jones also provided an update on NMTECH’s planned move to a new campus in Koblerville, saying construction is progressing, with one prefabricated building already framed and additional buildings expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Full completion is projected around January next year.