JIC Release No. 30 - Guam in COR 4; JRM in TCCOR 1R as of 5 PM; Response Efforts Underway

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero has placed the island in Condition of Readiness (COR) 4 as of 5 p.m. today, May 25, 2023, in the wake of Typhoon Mawar’s exit from the Marianas. 

Joint Region Marianas (JRM), Naval Base Guam (NBG), Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB), and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz (MCBCB) are in Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TCCOR) 1R as of 5 p.m. today. TCCOR 1R is set after the destructive winds have subsided to allow for survey and work crews to determine the extent of the damage. Until the recovery process is declared complete (TCCOR 4), or the risk of injury and/or damage to personnel and property has been mitigated to a safe level, the installations are limited to essential personnel only and recommend all on-base personnel remain indoors. For installation-specific operations or questions, please consult the respective installation Facebook pages or reach out to the Public Affairs Officer.

As Typhoon Mawar slowly pulls away from the Marianas, response efforts are underway. As of 1 p.m., Mawar was located 14.4. degrees north, 143.0 degrees east, about 135 miles west-northwest of Guam. It is moving west-northwest at 7 mph with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. 

For the remainder of the day, Guam can expect south winds of 20 -25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph in heavy showers. Spotty showers are still expected as rainbands come in from time to time, bringing gusty winds at least until after sunset. Surf of 12 to 16 feet is expected for south and west facing reefs. The community is reminded to stay out of the water as hazardous surf and seas will be life-threatening. 

After Typhoon Mawar’s passage last night, response efforts began as early as daybreak, when it was safe to do so. No major injuries or casualties were reported as a result of Mawar’s passage. Throughout the storm, and immediately after, emergency response personnel executed rescue and evacuation efforts as long as it was safe to do so. 

The government of Guam prioritizes the safety of the community as they work on water and power restoration for the island, as well as the continued safe removal of debris from roadways. All crews are aggressively working to get both power and water restored. 

GWA Update:

The Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA) is working diligently to restore water to island residents in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar. A boil water notice and water conservation notice has been issued by GWA, until further notice. For information, contact GWA’s 24/7 phone line at (671) 646-4211 or go to www.facebook.com/guamwaterworksauthority.

GPA Update:

Guam Power Authority (GPA) has begun its post-typhoon power restoration process. Power restoration after a typhoon is an extremely dangerous effort, and we ask for the public’s cooperation and patience as we safely work to restore power to the island. GPA crews have begun 24/7 shift work clearing lines and restoring power. GPA has procedural plans and priorities in place for post-typhoon recovery and restoration. 

Some GPA crews will first work on the transmission lines bringing power from the power plants out to the substations. Other crews will begin to restore power to circuits and ultimately to customers. 

GPA will work on restoring critical and priority facilities such as the hospital, water wells and wastewater facilities, critical infrastructure and key areas e.g. communications, schools, public safety/health and ports of entry. GPA crews will then focus on areas throughout the island. In order to energize the most customers, we may have to isolate areas heavily damaged and then return to the respective area at a later time. 

We recognize that the widespread power outages make post-typhoon recovery difficult. We are working to restore your power service as soon as possible. We ask residents not to inundate or overwhelm GPA Trouble Dispatch lines with inquiries regarding service restoration. Updates on power restoration will be provided to news media, Office of Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense, the village Mayors, GPA website and posted on GPA’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GuamPowerAuthority). 

GPA continues to ask for the public’s patience and understanding as we work on restoring power to the island. Customers can contact GPA's 24-Hour Trouble Dispatch at 475-1472/3/4 or via direct message on GPA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GuamPowerAuthority.  

MCOG Update:

The respective village Mayors have been out helping their village constituents throughout the duration of the typhoon. The mayors will continue to work with the Guam Environmental Protection Agency (Guam EPA) to establish staging centers for storm waste collection to include metals, white goods, plastics and green waste.  

GFD Update:

The Guam Fire Department (GFD) emergency response personnel responded to as many calls as they safely could throughout the duration of the storm. NextGen 911 also fared well throughout the storm. 

GPD Update:

As the island moves into COR 4, the Guam Police Department reminds motorists to adhere to the road conditions and to proceed with caution while approaching major traffic intersections.  Starting Friday morning, traffic direction will be provided to all major intersections to aid with the safe movement of traffic flow. 

GIAA Update: 

Flights are not operating at this time. The A.B. Won Pat International Airport Guam (GIAA) activated its Emergency Coordination Center and completed damage inspections of its terminal facilities and airfield with recovery efforts well underway. In coordination with the FAA Agana Air Traffic Control Tower, the airport has decided it will accommodate humanitarian and cargo flights to Guam at this time.  

The first priority in the terminal building is safely removing water in flooded areas to get the airport’s equipment back online. The GIAA team is assessing the airfield for operational capabilities. The airport will be meeting with airlines and stakeholders to update them on terminal status and information on their operational plans. 

Korean Air has announced the following flight cancellations:

KE 423/424 Incheon/Guam/Incheon  canceled for May 24 and 25

KE 421/422 Incheon/Guam/Incheon canceled for May 25 

KE 423/424 Incheon/Guam Incheon canceled for May 25 and May 26

Until the terminal is up for operations, we ask passengers to stay at their hotels and homes as passenger amenities are limited at this time.  Travelers can contact their respective airlines for any change in flight status or by going to the GIAA website at www.guamairport.com/flights.

GVB Update:

To help support recovery efforts at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Guam and the tourism industry, the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) and Guam Hotel & Restaurant Association (GHRA) have reached out to hotels, tour agents, taxis and other industry partners to communicate the flight operations impacted by the airport’s flooded areas, as well as damages to some hotels caused by Typhoon Mawar. Messaging has reached all of Guam’s main visitor markets. GVB has also pushed the added assistance of its visitor concierge program for those that speak Japanese, Korean and Mandarin Chinese. The concierge service hotline is (671) 588-3030. 

Emergency Shelters Update:

As the island continues to experience tropical storm force winds and rain, residents whose homes are not safe against heavy winds or rains, or those that live in low-lying, flood-prone areas can seek safety at a designated emergency shelter. Machananano Elementary School and  Inalåhan Middle School Shelters are closed, effective immediately. Residents in the area are advised to go immediately to any of the other shelters available. Emergency Shelter Numbers as of 4:00 p.m., Thursday:

Visit the following links for the latest advisory information:

• NWS Website: https://www.weather.gov/gum/

• NWS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NWSGuam/

• GHS/OCD Website: https://ghs.guam.gov/

• GHS/OCD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GHSOCD/

• JRM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jrmguam 

The Joint Information Center (JIC) will continue to provide updates as they are made available. For more information, contact the JIC at (671) 478-0208/09/10.