Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2020

President Donald J. Trump Approves Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Disaster Declaration   Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and ordered Federal assistance to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing. Federal funding is available to Commonwealth and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas in the Commonwealth impacted by COVID-19. Pete Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Robert J. Fenton as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Commonwealth and warranted by the results of further assessments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.