Typhoon Pakyo 2019 Senior Leaders Seminar and Emergency Management Officials Workshop

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct the following events at the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort:

Typhoon Pakyo 2019 Senior Leaders Seminar - Tuesday, May 7, 2019 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Typhoon Pakyo 2019 Operations Workshop for Emergency Management Officials, Response and Recovery Decision Makers, and Stakeholders - Wednesday, May 8, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The May 7 policy level seminar addresses Guam’s challenges, risks, and issues related to a catastrophic typhoon, which will be exercised at the upcoming Typhoon Pakyo Full-Scale Exercise in June.

The Senior Leader Seminar is a capability and capacity building event intended to engage key senior officials in a discussion of the roles and functions of the Government of Guam, DHS/FEMA, military, federal, and other stakeholders during response and recovery operations from a catastrophic typhoon. Topics to be discussed include the Guam Catastrophic Typhoon Plan, Guam Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, public policies, critical infrastructure, commodity distribution, crisis and risk communications, incident management, and crisis communications.

All of the topics will be discussed at the strategic and policy level to identify challenges and solutions, build a common understanding of roles and responsibilities during a disaster, and foster collaboration.

“The intent of the seminar is to provide leaders across the Government to discuss plans, procedures, and concerns as they relate to a catastrophic event,” stated Charles Esteves, Office of Civil Defense Administrator. “It is important to take the time to increase our level of preparedness, timeliness of response, and the development and implementation of effective polices.”

“In recent years, we’ve seen devastating storms in the South Pacific,” stated William Roche, Deputy Regional Administrator, FEMA Region IX. “We are happy to continue our strong partnership with the government of Guam as they prepare.”

For more information, contact GHS/OCD Public Information Officer Jenna G. Blas at (671) 489-2540 or via email at jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov or FEMA Public Affairs Officer Brandi Richard at (510) 627-7006 or via email at brandi.richard@fema.dhs.gov.

GHS/OCD’s mission is to coordinate and facilitate all Government of Guam, Military, and Federal Liaison Response Agencies and their resources in mitigating, preparing, responding, and recovering from any and all types of emergencies in order to protect the lives, environment, and property of the island of Guam.

FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

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.