Commonwealth residents are being encouraged to prepare for a drought, which could mean increased collateral effects such as lesser water to go around and more brush fires.
According to Nadine Deleon Guerrero, the external affairs officer of the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency, the Commonwealth experiences a drought every year, but it started earlier than usual this year and they are unsure how long it will last.
That means the CNMI community should be prepared to conserve water and to keep burning to an absolute minimum to ensure safety from wildfires.
Deleon Guerrero said the drought started in January when it usually starts around March.
“Just be mindful that it won’t be raining as much and keep yourselves hydrated,” she added.
Last Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Tiyan, Guam, issued a notice of anticipated dry weather for the Commonwealth.
Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and the far Northern Islands will experience the severe impact of the drought.
In particular for Saipan, the drawdown of fresh water resources could be a problem in the next few weeks to months.
Vegetation will dry out and a severe wildfire season could develop, especially where debris from Typhoon Yutu remains.
Because of the anticipated dry weather, HSEM is advising the community to take all necessary precautions at this time.

The drought monitor was updated with the start of February, and more than 97% of Virginia is abnormally dry, and almost half of the commonwealth is in a moderate drought. Most of our area is still in a moderate drought, and some parts of the state are even in a severe drought. We received just over half of the rainfall we normally receive in the month of January, and after starting the year with drought conditions carried over from 2017, we could be facing a serious drought this spring and summer. John Miller, with the Virginia Department of Forestry, said a drought like this is unusual in Virginia, especially because we normally recharge our ground water in the…