Disaster authorities and NGOs in the Northern Marianas are still struggling to get relief aid to victims of the recent Typhoon Soudelor.
Government and NGO listings of individuals and families requesting relief are now in the thousands and continue to grow as more people come forward to seek help.
Our correspondent in the CNMI Mark Rabago says the demand for aid has raised tensions, with the Red Cross forced to shut its office by police on Wednesday after fights broke out among people seeking aid.
He says the situation is now calm but but authorities are still struggling to get aid to the people who need it the most.
"Those in the inner villages who can't go to the shelters, who don't have cars or have no way of going to the ARC or the DRC to get supplies, that's the problem. So they have to find a way, a system where they could really get to those remote areas where survivors of the typhoon really need relief the most."
Saipan residents queue for post-typhoon aid at the American Memorial Park. Photo: Mark Rabago
