Residents and US military bases across Guam were warned to brace for a devastating impact from Typhoon Mawar as the Category 4-strength storm closed in on the Pacific island.
Mawar, which was earlier downgraded from super-typhoon status, is making an “excruciatingly slow” approach to the US territory and expected over land from about 5pm local time Wednesday, the National Weather Service said in a statement.
“Its slow motion will prolong high-impact conditions over Guam,” the service said in its statement.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency and ordered the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts. The US military holds almost a third of the island’s land, including the Andersen Air Force Base, and has about 6,000 US military personnel stationed on Guam.
“The triple threats of Cat 4 Typhoon Mawar are torrential rains that may result in landslides and flash flooding, catastrophic wind, and life-threatening storm surge,” according to the service.
The storm, with sustained winds of about 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour, is expected to cause considerable damage to buildings, overturn vehicles and destroy as much as 60% of vegetation. In the worst case scenario of Mawar’s eye directly hitting the island, electricity and water supplies could be unavailable for days or weeks, the service said.
By Friday or Saturday, there’s a risk Mawar will enter Philippine waters, though the storm is not likely to make landfall in the country, according to its national weather bureau. Taiwan is also on alert, with authorities saying the storm’s impact is dependent on its path early next week.
Guam’s population of about 169,000 was warned by Governor Lou Leon Guerrero to seek shelter no later than 9 a.m. local time. Guerrero had ordered the evacuation of some low-lying areas on Tuesday.
Officials at the Pentagon didn’t respond to a request for comment on US military preparations for the storm. The US Marine Corps this year opened their first new military base in 70 years on Guam. B-1B bombers are regularly based at Andersen Air Force Base.
--With assistance from Bill Faries, Manolo Serapio Jr. and Kevin Varley.
(Updates to add latest forecasts from second paragraph)
Author: David Stringer and Brian K. Sullivan
