Annual Tropical Cyclone, Disaster Preparedness & Climate Workshop

For Immediate Release
June 6, 2018

Annual Tropical Cyclone, Disaster Preparedness & Climate Workshop

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD), in coordination with the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office Guam, is hosting a two-day Tropical Cyclone, Disaster Preparedness and Climate Workshop from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., June 12 – 13, 2018, location to be determined.

The objective of the workshop is to familiarize decision makers with the numerous natural hazards that threaten Guam, the behavior of those hazards, emergency information and instructions issued by the NWS and its associates, and how to make critical decisions based on provided information.

The workshop examines current knowledge, tropical cyclone characteristics, behavior, and hazards. Participants will learn causes for the weather around Guam, the island’s risk and vulnerability to typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis, climate change issues, implications for rainfall and sea level predictions, and other topics concerning disaster preparedness.

Attendees for the workshop include various Government of Guam agencies, military, federal partners, private, and non-profit organizations that play an active role in GHS/OCD’s Emergency Operations Center.

“We cannot control when and how natural disasters impact us but what we can do is prepare through hazard mitigation and taking protective measures,” stated Charles Esteves, Office of Civil Defense Administrator. “Part of that preparedness effort is equipping ourselves with as much knowledge as possible. If all do our part in individual preparedness, we can focus our efforts towards rebuilding the community after a disaster. Finally, we want to thank the subject matter experts at the National Weather Service for their expertise, information sharing, and continued partnership.” Esteves continued.

For registration details, contact GHS/OCD Typhoon Program Manager, Maria Romulo at (671) 475-9600 or marialoralyn.romulo@ghs.guam.gov.

For media inquiries, contact GHS/OCD Public Information Officer, Jenna G. Blas at (671) 489-2540 or jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.