TYPHOON-BATTERED GUAM GIVEN ALL-CLEAR
Guam’s governor gave the all-clear Thursday after Typhoon Mawar tore through the second-largest U.S. territory the night before, ripping off roofs, shredding trees and leaving much of the remote Pacific island without power and utilities.
There were minor injuries reported but no fatalities, according to the office of Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. She declared the “all clear” Thursday evening, returning the island to its typical condition of typhoon readiness as the National Weather Service lifted a typhoon watch.
She thanked the people of Guam for keeping themselves safe and protected during the storm.
“We now continue to focus our efforts on repairing infrastructure and restoring services to residents,” Leon Guerrero said in a statement. “After speaking with department leaders and seeing the incredible rapid response to the storm, I am confident we will make significant progresses towards restoration of services.”
Survey and work crews were assessing damage at military installations, which were limited to essential personnel only, according to Joint Region Marianas.
The central and northern parts of the island received more than 2 feet of rain as the eyewall passed. The island’s international airport flooded and the swirling typhoon churned up a storm surge and waves that crashed through coastal reefs and flooded homes.
The strongest typhoon to hit the territory of roughly 150,000 people since 2002, Mawar briefly made landfall around 9 p.m. Wednesday as a Category 4 storm at Andersen Air Force Base on the northern tip of the island, weather service officials said.
Power and internet failures made communication on the far-flung island difficult in the early going. Leon
Guerrero said in a video message late Thursday morning that roads were passable, but residents should avoid driving and stay home due to ongoing strong winds.
“We have weathered the storm,” she said, adding that “the worst has gone by.”
Guam Power Authority said crews were working to restore power to critical and priority facilities such as a hospital, water wells and wastewater plants. Guam Waterworks Authority was working to restore water service and had issued a notice advising customers to boil their water.