Rota Chamber pushes ‘resiliency wish list’ to speed business recovery after Bavi

The acting president of the Rota Chamber of Commerce says the island needs far more than disaster relief after Super Typhoon Bavi, calling instead for a comprehensive "resiliency" plan involving the CNMI government, federal agencies, and utility providers to ensure businesses can recover faster from future storms.

In an interview with Marianas Press, acting Chamber president Juan Pan Guerrero said the local community has already compiled what he described as a "wish list" based on feedback gathered through a survey conducted by the Rota Mayor's Office.

"It's a nice wish list. For me, it's a wish list because it contains a lot of personal items," Guerrero said. "I say it's a good wish list."

Guerrero said the broader objective is to improve the island's resilience instead of repeatedly reacting after disasters.

"We need a little bit more organization. Resiliency, you know, why is it going to take months to get power back?" he said. "We need to develop a resiliency plan that is not just coming from the chamber, but coming from the mayor, coming from the legislative council, the municipal council, the legislative delegation. It's like a brainstorm."

Among the Chamber's priorities are faster restoration of power and telecommunications, stronger seaport and airport operations after storms, improved infrastructure, and closer coordination with agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration before—not just after—the next typhoon strikes.

"It should be a seven-day turnaround. After seven days, power is back," Guerrero said.

He also said telecommunications providers should restore service more quickly after disasters and that critical infrastructure—including ports, airports, fuel stations, and utilities—needs additional investment to withstand future storms.

Guerrero questioned the long-term use of public schools as emergency shelters, saying prolonged shelter operations can delay students' return to classrooms.

He noted that Bavi came just months after Super Typhoon Sinlaku and warned that forecasts calling for more active weather underscore the need to prepare now rather than wait for another disaster.

Beyond infrastructure concerns, Guerrero said businesses continue to struggle without reliable electricity.

"It's just the power generation is the biggest issue," he said. "It's mighty hot, to be honest with you. Very hot."

He said the prolonged outage has also taken a psychological toll on residents.

"The people are very temperamental... because of the stress that brought about by the storm," Guerrero said.

Although many businesses have reopened, operating remains difficult.

"We're open. We're suffering a big dilemma because of power," he said, explaining that businesses are struggling to keep frozen goods from spoiling and may need to invest in larger backup generators.

His family's Island-A-Heart supermarket remains open despite the challenges, while working to reduce inventory requiring refrigeration. He said other businesses are gradually resuming operations, with stores reopening because "if they close, they're not going to survive." Restaurants are also beginning to return, while some restaurant businesses have benefited from serving relief workers and through World Central Kitchen.

Despite those challenges, Guerrero's family also helped provide relief supplies after the storm. Through Herman's Bakery and supplier support, they distributed hundreds of loaves of bread and bottled water to residents at the mayor's request.

Guerrero acknowledged that many employers are also coping with labor shortages while some foreign workers remain off-island.

"We're all in the same boat. We're suffering from exertion, stress, and probably anxiety," he said. "Resiliency is the key word."

Helping shoulder the workload is Guerrero's 14-year-old son, Andre, who had been spending his summer vacation on Rota when Bavi struck.

Instead of a typical school break, Andre has been working at the family's store.

"I've been helping my dad and our store with the labor," he said. "So I'm basically the replacement for the touch-back employees."

Andre also encouraged other young people on Rota to continue supporting their island's recovery.

"Keep trying to support the island. Never give up," he said. "Even if we have this storm, never stop trying to grow."