Super Typhoon Mawar positioned to directly hit Guam as residents shelter and evacuate
Mawar is expected to hit the island with a triple threat of strong winds, a high storm surge, and destructive flooding.
The island of Guam is bracing for a ‘direct hit’ from Super Typhoon Mawar, the largest storm the Pacific island territory has seen in decades.
The National Weather Service (NWS) called the storm ‘a very serious situation’ for Guam, which is home to about 168,000 people.
‘Current forecasts are not favorable to our island,’ Guam’s Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said in an emergency message. ‘We are at the crosshairs of Typhoon Mawar. Take action now, stay calm, stay informed and stay safe.’
The governor ordered an evacuation of all residents from the island’s ‘low-lying, flood prone, and coastal areas,’ including several villages on Guam’s southern coastline.
The Guamanians were told to seek shelter either in private homes or designated government shelters by 6.00pm on Tuesday night. The NWS recommended these buildings have reinforced concrete walls and roofs.
Mawar is expected to hit the island with a triple threat of strong winds, a high storm surge, and destructive flooding.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mawar was sustaining winds of 130 miles per hour, classifying it as a typhoon. Forecasters are predicting wind speeds could reach as high as 160 miles per hour when it hits Guam on Tuesday night.
A storm in the Pacific becomes a super typhoon when it sustains winds of speeds above 150 miles per hour. For comparison, a hurricane in the Atlantic becomes a Category 5 storm when it sustains winds of over 155 miles per hour.
Forecasters are predicting a storm surge of about 6 to 10 feet above standard high tide, but said it has the possibility to reach up to 15 feet in some areas.
Conditions on the water are expected to be ‘deadly for small craft and dangerous for larger vessels,’ the NWS said. Waves from the storm are expected to reach heights of 20 to 25 feet for the next few days.
Rainfall is currently projected to total somewhere between 8 to 15 inches, which could cause severe flooding alongside the storm surge. The island is also bracing to lose power for days after the storm.
Mawar is currently moving slowly, at a speed of just 5 miles per hour. It is expected to continue to the Northern Mariana Islands after hitting Guam.
The island is also an important strategic location for the US military, and is home to Naval Base Guam, Andersen Air Force Base, and Marine Corp Camp Blaz.
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