Open letter to the FSM: Namoneas in crisis

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Category: Opinion

Published on Wednesday, 27 June 2012 13:07

Written by Bill Hagen

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Hey KPress!

The Northern Outer Islands of Chuuk are in crisis again.

The Nomonuitoes and all of the Northern Islands have lost their access to air transportation. We can no longer call for medical evacuation nor bring in personnel or hardware for The Cuthbert Project, located at WeiPat High. We are hosting, on Onoun, an educational symposium in early July and all of the participants will have to travel by boat and gas, when available, is almost $8.00 per gallon. We, the people of the Northern Islands need your immediate intervention and help.

The airstrip on Onoun has been declared unsafe due to the dense growth at both ends of the runway and on both sides. Also, there are pot holes in the surface of the landing strip. We, the people of Onoun and the students of WeiPat High are willing to do the work but we need the necessary tools to do the work. We need chainsaws, bush cutters, herbicides, wheelbarrows, picks and shovels as well as the necessary spare parts and safety equipment for the people to perform the necessary clearing and patching. We estimate that the cost of the tools and supplies can be purchased for $15,000, and can have everything delivered to Onoun at the end of June when we have a private boat coming to Onoun from Guam. We will then have the necessary tools to do regular maintenance on our landing strip to ensure continued access to air transportation.

We don't often ask for much but, we need access to air transportation for those in crisis.

Bill Hagen
The Cuthbert Project