SAIPAN – Typhoon Soudelor survivors formed long lines even before a federal Disaster Recovery Centre opened for the first time Wednesday for thousands in the Northern Marianas who have been struggling with food shortages and lack of running water and power.

It’s been 11 days since the typhoon hit Saipan directly, causing more than 3500 households to seek assistance from federal agencies and the American Red Cross.

Federal assistance for individuals, homeowners, renters and businesses was made possible after President Obama on August 5 declared the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands a federal disaster area.

Martha Babelles and her friends were on the Red Cross line along with many others Wednesday.

“We were here since 1.00am despite the heavy rain, and then we didn’t eat breakfast, and then we didn’t eat lunch, and now we are going to be here until 6pm,” she said.

Babelles said she hasn’t had work since the typhoon because her employer’s business still doesn’t have power or water.

The Red Cross is issuing spending cards for basic necessities, such as food, water and fuel, as well as FEMA emergency supplies.

As the lines got more crowded, Red Cross representatives were telling people they didn’t have to line up once they’ve received a number that indicates they’re on a list that the Red Cross will call.

The opening of the federal disaster centre occurred as things started to get “desperate,” particularly for Saipan residents living in severely damaged or destroyed homes, said the Northern Marianas’ voice in Congress, Delegate Gregorio ‘Kilili’ Sablan.

Frustration was building up, Sablan said, in part because FEMA supplies, such as tents and tarps, sat for days awaiting FEMA’s process to work its way through.

“It took Obama only two days to declare the CNMI a federal disaster area, but emergency supplies weren’t immediately distributed to the villages and individual homes,” Sablan said. “FEMA could have picked up the pace.”

“My frustration is, among other things, right now over 3000 people have called in and connected with FEMA’s application centre, however I have yet to see one house visited for assessment.”

Sablan said he called FEMA Tuesday, asking that it speed up the distribution process to households.

“More than 3,500 households, or about 25 percent of the total in Saipan, have sought FEMA assistance,” he said.

“They assured me that it is going to change,” Sablan said.

“I am not going to beg FEMA to do their job – they are people who are basically paid to do this. They have not been as efficient,” Sablan said.

However, Steve DeBlasio of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied earlier claims by Sablan that the emergency shelters are filthy, assuring that FEMA is making sure that the shelters are safe and sanitized.

When told that Congressman Sablan has expressed disappointed with FEMA’s handling of the disaster relief assistance to the CNMI, DeBlasio said: “We’ve been working fine with the congressman just to make sure that we provide him all the necessary information he needs to fully understand what exactly we are doing.

“It’s not about FEMA, it’s not about Red Cross – it’s about the whole community. The Red Cross and the Department of Defence and all the other voluntary organisations and all government agencies of the CNMI are working together as one team to accomplish our mission – and our primary focus is the people, secondary is the power and third is water and wastewater. We need to get the infrastructure back up and we are here to support that.”

DeBlasio said he has visited all the shelters and said “they don’t look filthy at all”.

“There’s generators to ensure that people can take showers. Children are playing basketball. There’s food, there are blankets as well as phones.”

Marianas Variety reported that there are no infectious diseases plaguing the island in the recovery from the devastation caused by Typhoon Soudelor.

A field officer of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention arrived on Saipan on Saturday to provide assistance in conducting assessments of infectious diseases on the island which included a visit to the evacuation centres and temporary shelters.

Denise Everhart, American Red Cross relief operation director, said shelter specialists will ensure that the shelters are running well.

FEMA, in a statement, said the American Red Cross has already provided assistance to some 3000 residents, including money for fuel, phone calls, laundry as well as tarps, buckets, water and hygienic supplies.

About 40 people were injured and no typhoon-related fatality was recorded in Saipan related to Soudelor.

The Northern Marianas has estimated that the cost of the disaster recovery would be around $20 million.