OAN’s Geraldyn Berry
1:58 PM – Wednesday, May 23, 2023
Super Typhoon Mawar, the biggest storm to hit the United States Pacific Island in decades, made landfall on Guam on Wednesday.
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This comes as Guam’s Department of Homeland Security had announced a “triple threat” of torrential rains, life-threatening storm surge and Category 4 hurricane-force winds.
Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero had urged residents to stay at home until conditions are declared safe for travel. On Tuesday night, Guerrero had issued an executive order mandating the evacuation of low-lying coastal areas, which was approved by President Joe Biden.
“Stay calm, stay informed and stay safe. We will get through this storm as we have in many, many other storms,” she said.
FEMA had announced that over 50 emergency relief personnel and dozens of other federal partners are ready to provide emergency assistance on the ground.
According to the National Weather Service in Guam, before 9:00 p.m. local time, Mawar was cutting off the northern portion of Guam as it passed through the Rota channel. Tornado-like damage warnings were in force until 10:45 p.m. for gusts of 115 mph or more.
Around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday night, the eye of the typhoon passed over the northern point of Guam with winds of 145 mph, according to the agency.
Warning coordinator for the weather service Landon Aydlett, appeared on a live stream warning about the storm. With circumstances predicted to progressively improve Thursday morning, he advised residents to “take cover now” away from windows.
“Everyone’s going to be feeling this, and they’re going to be feeling this for a while,” he said.
After the storm has passed, it’s probable that there may still be power outages and water restrictions for days, or perhaps weeks. Tuesday through Wednesday saw a cancellation of flights, according to the island’s Department of Homeland Security.
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