After being hit by Hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall from Super Typhoon Mawar, Guam is now facing damage, power outages and issues with water supply. The typhoon warning has been lifted, but the strong winds are still present, leading to the state governor recommending residents to stay at home until conditions improve.
While the storm's eye passed just north of the island on Wednesday night local time, Guam was still subjected to powerful winds and heavy rain. Although there have been no reported deaths or significant injuries, the typhoon has caused extensive damage and flooding across the island. Parts of the island have also faced disruption to their water supply.
Guam Power Authority has been working to restore power, however, at present it reports that approximately 1,000 out of their 52,000 customers remain without power, and the Guam Memorial Hospital is operating on a standby generator.
Despite having moved away from Guam, the storm has now strengthened to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane equivalent, with wind speeds of up to 175 mph and gusts reaching 205 mph. Although it is not predicted to threaten other land over the next several days, officials have warned that the situation is still dangerous with heavy rain, whipping winds, and strong storm surges still possible.
With some areas having received over 20 inches of rain over a 24-hour period, the northern village of Dededo seeing 24.5 inches and the central west coast village of Piti experiencing over 22 inches of rain, several officials have issued warnings ahead of the storm's arrival, including the prospect of life-threatening storm surges and dangerous coastal flooding.
An emergency declaration was approved for Guam ahead of the typhoon by US President Joe Biden, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deploying more than 130 staff that are either prepared or currently responding to any disaster relief that may be required.
With Guam home to around 150,000 residents and several US military installations, recovery efforts are expected to be underway soon. However, it is imperative that Guam continues to take caution, given that this is the fifth storm this year to reach such intensity, and the year is only half over.