Global Courant 2023-05-23 21:47:37
Shelters in US territory are starting to fill up in anticipation of a powerful storm called Typhoon Mawar.
Authorities on the island of Guam have warned residents to take precautions as the remote U.S. Pacific territory prepares for a possible direct hit from an approaching storm dubbed Typhoon Mawar.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that the storm could make landfall in southern Guam local time on Wednesday afternoon, which is Tuesday evening in the mainland United States. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero has ordered the evacuation of residents in flood-prone areas.
“Mawar is a real threat and a potential direct hit to our island,” Guerrero said in a message to residents on YouTube on Monday. “I am deeply concerned and concerned for your safety, and I want you to take these warnings seriously.”
She also called on residents to calm down.
Advy 13 has pushed TY Mawar a bit north, bringing a Cat 4, 145 mph TY over Guam on Wednesday. Complete the preparations SOON! Be in a solid reinforced concrete structure tonight. Worst conditions Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/vD8rOqVWrn
— NWS Guam (@NWSGuam) May 23, 2023
US President Joe Biden approved one emergency declaration on Tuesday, releasing federal aid while the NWS upgraded the storm to a Category 4 “super typhoon” that could see winds exceeding 241 km/h (150 mph).
Authorities on the island, which is home to about 150,000 people, say emergency shelters are beginning to fill with residents, who have been warned to evacuate if their homes are not made of concrete. Many houses are made of wood and tin.
The NWS said the storm could bring a “triple threat” of high winds, rain and a strong storm surge to the island. Patrick Doll, the weather service’s lead meteorologist in Tiyan, Guam, told the Associated Press that the storm has the potential to cause “extensive damage.”
A storm surge of 2 to 3 meters (6.5 to 10 ft) above normal high tide was expected and could reach as high as 4.5 m (15 ft). The surf was expected to increase sharply along the south and east reefs over the next day or two, with dangerous surf reaching 6 to 7.5 meters (20 to 25 feet) from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday, the weather service said.
Rota, an island in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, also experienced a typhoon warning, Doll said. Tinian and Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, were warned of tropical storms.
Some people in those areas are still in temporary shelters or tents after Category 5 super typhoon Yutu in 2018, Doll noted.
The Pacific Daily News reported that residents of Guam shopped at supermarkets for essential supplies such as water, canned food and electricity generators on Monday.
“Guam gets a Category 4 or 5 hit every five to seven years. Mother nature has been sparing us lately,” Doll told the Associated Press, noting that the last “direct hit” happened in 2002.
