Red Cross Prepares to Help People on Guam as Typhoon Mawar ...

Super Typhoon Mawar is bearing down on the U.S. territory of Guam and the Commonwealthof the Northern Mariana Islands with intense winds, flooding rain and a life-threatening storm surge and authorities have ordered residents in coastal areas to evacuate. Mawar will make landfall Wednesday.

Guam has a population of more than 150,000 people, many of whom live in coastal communities. The American Red Cross is working with officials and partners to support people on the island as the huge storm nears the U.S. territory in the Western Pacific.

The typhoon could be as strong as a Category 5 hurricane as it gets closer to Guam. A typhoon and hurricane are different in name only. Typhoon is used for tropical cyclones that develop in the northwestern Pacific and affect Asia. Elsewhere, they are called hurricanes.

Mawar will bring winds as strong as 140 mph to the island and cause devastating flooding with as much as 20 inches of rain along with a storm surge up to 10 feet.

The Red Cross is working with both local emergency management officials and our federal partners, as well as other humanitarian agencies, to meet the needs of the communities affected.

More than a dozen Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground helping to support people in the path of this storm. Tuesday night local time, nearly 1,000 people stayed in more than 15community and partner shelters across the islands.

The Red Cross has relief items on the island and staged in strategic locations in preparation for this storm, including water, shelf-stable meals, clean-up kits, tarps and hygiene supplies.  

More disaster workers and emergency supplies are on stand-by as the storm passes over the islands and impacts become clear. 

As conditions improve, response efforts will expand and the Red Cross will assist with damage assessment.

The Red Cross urges people who may be in the storm’s path to listen to the advice of local officials and evacuate immediately if asked. To get ready, people should:

• Know the difference between a watch and a warning. A watch means conditions are likely and to stay alert — a warning means act now. Stay indoors and away from windows.
• Get their home ready in advance by covering windows with storm shutters or plywood if possible, and store outside items to prevent them from being moved by high winds.
• During a typhoon, stay indoors and avoid beaches, riverbanks or floodwaters.
• Check your emergency kit and replace any missing items.
• Prepare to evacuate quickly and know your routes and destinations.
• Fill your car's gas tank, in case an evacuation notice is issued.
• Don’t forget your pets. Bring them indoors and keep a close eye on them. Prepare an emergency kit for your pets with leashes, carriers, food, water, bowls, litter, litterbox and photos of you with your pet in case you are separated.
• Stay indoors. Avoid beaches, riverbanks and floodwaters.Don’t walk, swim or drive through floodwaters. Remember: Turn around, don’t drown.
• If the power is out, use a flashlight. Don’t use candles or any open flame for lighting.

Download the free Red Cross First Aid app so you’ll know what to do if emergency help is delayed and the free Emergency app for weather alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and safety steps for different emergencies. Choose whether you want to view the content in English or Spanish with an easy-to-find language selector. Find these and all of the Red Cross apps in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

YOU CAN HELP people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Financial donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.