Guam residents rushed to prepare for what is expected to be a life-threatening typhoon, a storm potentially so severe that President Joe Biden signed an emergency declaration Tuesday to mobilize resources.
Super Typhoon Mawar is expected to be a “triple threat” of torrential rains, life-threatening storm surge and Category 4 hurricane-force winds, according to Guam’s Homeland Security department.
“This is a very serious situation with steadily deteriorating conditions,” the department said.
The National Weather Service said the storm could hit southern Guam around midday Wednesday, which is Tuesday evening in the continental United States. Guam lies to the west of the International Date Line and is nearly a day ahead of the U.S. mainland.
The inner core of Mawar is expected to cross over the island as a powerful Category 4 or 5 equivalent storm.
Making matters worse, the storm is only moving at 6 mph. A slow, intense cyclone is a worst-case scenario for any populated location.
Current maximum winds are 140 mph with estimated maximum wave heights of 46 feet. Mawar underwent rapid intensification overnight with the maximum wind gusts increasing 50 mph over the course of 18 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Gusts could reach up to 190 mph near the eye wall and, in the most vulnerable areas, storm surges could reach more than 20 feet above normal high tide. Typhoon force winds extend 35 miles from the storm’s center, though tropical force winds extend nearly 100 miles farther, according to the weather service.
Loss of power and access to water is likely to last days, if not weeks, after the storm passes. Flights were canceled from Tuesday through Wednesday, according to the island’s homeland security.
Luis Zamora, 40, is an electrical engineer who frequently visits the island from California for his work with the U.S. military and is hunkering down at a hotel with his colleagues. He was scheduled to leave on Thursday, but received notification Tuesday from United Airlines that his flight was cancelled.
“Overnight, you can definitely see the difference in the wind,” Zamora said. “You can hear it a lot stronger … you can see the trees moving around.”
Originally from Florida, Zamora has prepared himself the same way he would for a hurricane: a full bathtub of water, charging his devices ahead of power loss, and stocking up on non-perishables. He also feels confident in the staff at his hotel, the Dusit Beach Resort, who have assured guests of their food stock and emergency plans.
“I think Guam is way ahead of, you know, storm preparedness,” Zamora said. “It’s just the outcome is something that you can’t really prepare for.”
Zamora and his colleagues are only a 10-minute drive from the airport, but it’s unclear how quickly they could return home after the storm passes.
“It’s just how much damage is it going to make and when is everything going to be able to be back up and running?”
Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero signed an executive order mandating evacuations of low-lying areas and mobilizing the national guard to assist in getting people to shelters. In a letter to Biden, Guerrero warned that the typhoon is expected to cause “substantial destruction to our island.”
“I anticipate that this situation will be of such severity and magnitude that an effective response will be beyond the capability of the government of Guam and supplementary federal assistance will be necessary to save lives and to protect property, public health and safety and to mitigate the effects of this imminent catastrophe,” Guerrero said in the letter, which was posted to Instagram.
In an address on YouTube, Guerrero urged people to stay indoors and take necessary steps to prepare.
“I know it’s been quite some time since we’ve had a storm of this magnitude and it is frightening,” Guerrero said. “I ask you to remain calm, stay informed, and most importantly, be prepared.”
Janhvi Bhojwani and The Associated Press contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
