He Typhoon ‘Mawar’, with potentially catastrophic winds, is heading directly for the island of Guam, a US territory in the Pacific and a crucial military post on Wednesday. Some 21,700 US military and their families are based at or near various facilities on Guam, which routinely hosts nuclear attack submarines, bombers of long-range and stalls electronic listening.
US bases also house some of the largest fuel and ammunition storage facilities in the Pacific region.
A report from National Metereological Service (NWS, for its acronym in English) pointed out that the maximum winds of ‘Mawar’ reach 225 kilometers per hour, which make it a dangerous super typhoon of category 4. “I am concerned about the safety of our people. It is the first storm of this magnitude in 20 years,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, who invited the island’s inhabitants to seek shelter.
Some 21,700 US military and their families are based at or near various facilities on Guam, which routinely hosts nuclear attack submarines, bombers of long-range and stalls electronic listening.
On its current trajectory, ‘Mawar’ will pass directly over the island of 170,000 inhabitants, unleashing torrential rains and extreme flooding. “‘Mawar’ is expected to intensify throughout the night,” the NWS said.
“The triple threat of Super Typhoon ‘Mawar’ is the Torrential rains that can cause landslides and floods sudden surges, catastrophic winds and life-threatening coastal flooding,” he added.
The winds they could reach gusts of up to 320 kilometers per hour, causing significant damage to buildings and houses made of lightweight materials. On the coasts, large ships “could be torn from their moorings.”
evacuations
The authorities ordered the evacuation low-lying coastal areas, especially flood-prone southern villages, calling on everyone to “take shelter immediately” from destructive winds expected on Wednesday morning.
Rainfall was forecast to trigger landslides in the center and south of the island, the weather service warned.
Related news
He President of the United States, Joe Biden, declared a state of emergency for Guam on Tuesday so that federal aid can be provided to the island, according to a White House statement. About 60 flights to and from Guam scheduled between Tuesday and Thursday were cancelled, according to AB Won Pat International Airport.
Conditions are expected to improve on Thursday.