Pacific / Northern Marianas

Guam's school year will start in shadow of US-North Korea tensions

09:06 am on 17 August 2017

Guam's superintendent of education says the school year will commence as planned today, despite the threat of missile attacks from North Korea.

Kim Jong-Un said he's reviewing plans to strike the US territory although he called on the United States to ease tension.

The superintendent Jon Fernandez said Guam schools regularly practiced evacuations and emergency procedures.

"Here on Guam we're used to many different types of potential situations. Most of the time it has to do with weather," he said.

"We do have standard operating procedures regarding emergency preparations and response. Students actually go through these drills on a monthly basis. I have children in the public school system, they go through these drills along with the staff, teachers and administrators."

Jon Fernandez said school buildings on Guam were solidly built and were used to shelter the community in times of crisis.

The governor of the Northern Marianas, Ralph Torres. Photo: CNMI Republican Facebook

Meanwhile, the governor of the Northern Marianas Ralph Torres said his administration was still monitoring the situation in North Korea.

He said even though there had been no change to the threat level on Guam and in the CNMI, his government was committed to ensuring the safety of everyone who calls the Commonwealth home.

To this end, the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Saipan released fact sheets on how to 'shelter-in-place' during a missile attack.