Typhoon Preparation and recovery

On May 24, 2023, Typhoon Mawar slammed into Guam, pulling apart homes, peeling off portions of warehouse roofs, flooding parking lots and the cars on them, stripping leaves off trees and tearing up carefully landscaped lawns. Mawar also threw trees and debris on power lines and telecomms towers, and jammed water and wastewater facilities and pipelines.

The kicker? As harsh as Mawar was with its sustained winds of 140 mph with gusts over 150 mph, Guam was spared the worst of it. Just 24 hours before it barreled through Guam, Mawar weakened from a super typhoon with sustained winds of 160 mph-plus and gusts up to 180 mph.

Looking back at other typhoons that hit Guam, the opposite has happened — Super Typhoon Pongsona gained its "super" strength not long before it let loose on our island on Dec. 8, 2002. These are examples of how unpredictable mother nature can be.

Charles Esteves, Administrator of Guam's Office of Civil Defense, said it underscores why residents and businesses alike should take time to prepare for the storm itself as well as what they need to do to reopen.

Esteves said it's critical for businesses to have what's called a business continuity plan. You have to determine what your business will do if you lose communications, inventory, etc., he said.

"The plan can be used to identify interdependencies, friction points, and points of failure in a business," he said. "I recommend they do a thorough damage assessment and work with their insurance companies to determine what they can claim."

Esteves said by preparing their plans, they can modify operations to resume operations quicker. He recommended businesses create a continuity plan that can help

1. C ontact all staff and establish their location and whether they are safe and well – ask whether they have been affected, will they be able to return to work, and if so when will they be able to return to work.

2. Undertake an initial damage assessment – If you are allowed to access your premises, develop a list of destroyed or damaged items. If possible, estimate their replacement costs. Include photos of the damage if possible. Do not commence cleaning up until you have contacted your insurer.

3. Contact your insurance company and discuss your damage assessment, your level of cover, how quickly your claim can be processed, how much and in what form a claim will be paid and when an insurance assessor will visit.

4. If safe to do so, salvage any remaining equipment and stock

While many local businesses were able to reopen following Mawar, many had to open with limited hours or restricted operations and/or inventory because of damage to the facility or inventory. Lack of power was a large issue for residences and businesses alike, but the shortage of fuel at gas stations made it difficult to run generators. The power issue also impacted telecoms company, making phone calls an issue but it also meant Guamanians couldn’t use debit or credit cards at stores and gas stations.

The Guam Chamber of Commerce surveyed members shortly after the storm. According to respondents, about half were able to reopen after the storm; 30% opened with limited hours; and 17% remained closed.

After Mawar, the Guam Chamber of Commerce and Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association shared information with media on what businesses were open and what were closed.

Preparing For A Possible Storm

It's been about 20 years since Guam has seen a typhoon as strong as Typhoon Mawar. That's just one of the ways Mother Nature can be unpredictable. Even the most knowledgeable meteorologists can't accurately predict where and when a storm will strike and how strong it will be when it does. Being over prepared is better than being under-prepared. Here are some ways business owners and managers can prepare their offices and facilities for a potential typhoon.

Before The Storm

1. Secure outdoor furniture, propane tanks, equipment, and other items that may become airborne during high winds.

2. Trim dead or weakened branches from trees around buildings to reduce the risk of them falling into the building and causing damage.

3. Remove clogged gutters and downspouts to help prevent water from pooling around the building and parking lot.

4. Put up or close storm shutters

5. Prepare backups and store offsite all computer records (i.e. Payroll, inventory records, etc.).

6. Identify critical business functions that absolutely must continue (i.e. shipping, inventory control, payroll) and come up with processes to ensure these will carry on. Consider investing in a generator or other portable power sources in case of an extended power outage.

7. Prepare for possible flooding/water leaks by sealing unprotected windows, stacking sandbags near doors where flooding is typical. Cover computers and other electrical equipment with large plastic bags and/or raise items off the ground.

8. Take pictures before (and after) the event to support insurance claims.

9. Check insurance coverage regularly to make sure you’re adequately protected.

10. Check with the Guam Office of Civil Defense/Homeland Security for up-to-date information on storm information and other necessary safety procedures.

11. Ensure your vehicles have full tanks in case gas stations aren't able to open after a typhoon; and park vehicles in protected areas.

12. Ensure there's a clear plan for staff/employees ahead of time, if the typhoon hits are they required to come into work as soon as Condition 4 is called? Who do they call if they can't come in and what happens if that person can't be reached?

13. Have an emergency communication plan in place so employees can stay in touch if lines of communication are disrupted.

14. Use emergency shutoffs to turn off electricity, gas, and other utilities if they pose a risk of damage to your property.

15. Have a plan for restoring power, communications, data, and other services.

During The Storm

1. Stay indoors and stay away from windows and sliding glass doors.

2. Conserve power on your cell phones as much as possible.

3. Stay informed. Listen to the local media or NOAA Weather Radio for the latest weather bulletins. It's critical that you and your team understand what's going on, if what's being experienced is the passage of the eye of a typhoon, there

1. Stay indoors until the all-clear is given by government officials.

2. Do not touch any loose power lines. Call Guam Power Authority.

3. Wear protective clothing, including masks, goggles, and gloves, when engaging in cleanup activities.

4. Take photos of any damage to property.

5. Call your insurance company

6. Follow your plan to get your office/business back up and running.

7. Contact the Guam Office of Civil Defense/Homeland Security at 671-475-9600 for more information if needed.

TROPICAL STORMS & TYPHOONS

Guam has seen everything from a tropical storm to what's called a super typhoon. Here's a breakdown of the categories for each:

2 Tropical Storm Categories

Tropical Storm Category A: “Weak Tropical Storm”

• Sustained winds: 30-49 mph

• Peak Gusts: 40-64 mph

• Damage only to the flimsiest lean-to type structure. Minor damage to banana and papaya trees.

Tropical Storm Category B: “Severe Tropical Storm”

• Sustained winds: 50-73 mph

• Peak Gust: 65-94 mph

• Major damage to huts made of thatch or loosely attached corrugated sheet metal or plywood; sheet metal and plywood may become airborne. Minor damage to buildings of light materials. Moderate damage to banana and papaya trees.

Typhoon Categories

1: “Minimal Typhoon”

• Sustained winds: 74-95 mph

• Peak Gust: 95-120 mph

• Corrugated metal and plywood stripped from poorly constructed or termite infested structures and may become airborne. Few wooden, non-reinforced power poles tilted and some rotten power poles broken. Less than 10% defoliation of trees/shrubs. Palm fronds begin to break.

2. Typhoon Category 2: “Moderate Typhoon”

• Sustained winds: 96-110 mph

• Peak Gust: 121-139 mph

• Damage to wooden and tin roofs and other structures of termite infested or rotted wood. Considerable damage to structures made of light materials. Several rotten wooden power poles snapped and many non-reinforced power poles tilted. Some secondary power lines down. 10-30% defoliation of trees/shrubs.

3. Typhoon Category 3: “Strong Typhoon

• Sustained winds: 111-129 mph

• Peak Gust: 140-164 mph

• Extensive damage to wooden structures weakened by

CONDITIONS OF READINESS (COR)

It's important to understand Conditions of Readiness, often referred to as COR, are about the timing and not the strength of the storm. From 4 to 1, the CORs are like a countdown. COR 4 is a "normal day" in paradise and COR 1 means you better be indoors because the storm is expected soon or it's here. The governor of Guam, based on recommendations from National Weather Service and other officials, will make this determination. Here's the breakdown from the Guam Office of Civil Defense/Homeland Security:

• Condition 4: damaging winds possible within 72 hours

• Condition 3: damaging winds possible within 48 hours

• Condition 2: damaging winds expected within 24 hours

• Condition 1: damaging winds expected within 12 hours or are occurring termite infestation, wet and dry wood rot, and corroded roof straps. Structures made of light material may be destroyed. Some roof, window, and door damage to wellbuilt, wooden and metal buildings. Air full of small flying debris. Few hollowed-spun concrete power poles broken or tilted and many non-reinforced wooden power poles blown down or broken. Many secondary power lines down. Palm trees begin to lose crowns; 30-50% defoliation of trees/shrubs.

4. Typhoon Category 4: “Very Strong Typhoon”

• Sustained winds: 130-156 mph

• Peak Gust: 165-198 mph

• Many well-built wooden or tin homes damaged or destroyed and complete destruction of buildings made of light materials. Extensive damage to non-concrete roofs. Some reinforcedhollow-spun concrete and many reinforced wooden power poles blown down with numerous secondary power lines downed. Tree/shrubs 50-90% defoliated; trees being to loose bark.

5. Typhoon Category 5: “Devastating Typhoon”

(These have been dubbed "Super Typhoon" by media but the term is getting more and more common)

• Sustained winds: 157-194 mph

• Peak Gust: 199-246 mph

• Total failure of non-concrete reinforced roofs. Extensive or total destruction to non-concrete residence and industrial buildings. Severe damage to some solid concrete poles, to numerous reinforced hollow-spun concrete power poles, to many steel towers and virtually all wooden poles. All secondary power lines, most primary power lines downed Considerable glass failures due to flying debris and explosive pressure caused by extreme wind gusts; well constructed storm shutters fail. Trees devoid of all but largest stubby and sandb lasted branches; up to 100% defoliation. Large airborne debris.

Watches And Warnings

The National Weather Service is always on the lookout for weather patterns that will impact the island. If there's a storm heading our way, they'll announce either a watch or a warning. It's typically in conjunction with advisories on flooding or high surf and winds, the latter two being particularly important for mariners. But the two to listen out for are:

• Watch: damaging winds possible within 48 hours; tropical storm or typhoon

• Warning: damaging winds expected within 24 hours; tropical storm or typhoon

Source: Guam Office of Civil Defense/Guam Homeland Security