Typhoon Oma[?]smashes Guam

Disaster

By David North

CAUGHT off guard by erratic Typhoon Omar, the people of Guam huddled in their homes and shelters for a harrowing nine hours on August as winds as high as 155 miles per hour bashed, ripped, twisted, and levelled parts of the 212 square-mile island.

By the time Omar moved into the Philippine Sea, the storm had left an estimated S5OO million in damage to homes, government buildings, military bases, and tourist hotels. About 80 residents were injured, mostly by explod ing windows and flying debris, but no deaths were reported.

However, the 140,000 residents of the island were left dazed and demoralized by the sudden arrival of the powerful storm one of the the strongest typhoons to hit Guam in the last 50 years, according to Guam officials. Onl) 12 hours before Omar came ashore, US Navy weather forecasters were still re porting it as only a tropical storm with sustained winds of 60 to 70 miles per hour. In the aftermath, angry Guam officials blamed the faulty forecasting on the absence of U.S. Air Force storm tracking aircraft the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (known as Typhoon Trackers). The group was pulled off Guam in 1987 in a Pentagon

budget-cutting move.

The four-engine, turbo-prop aircraft

can fly directly through the walls of a typhoon, taking wind speed and baro metric measurements. The long-range modified C-130s can stay with storms for hours by flying in the eye. Without this ability, Guam forecasters had to rely on satellite pictures and ground radar.

These systems are unable to precisely measure the speed and intensity of a storm that was stalled close to Guam and intensifying. That is exactly what Omar did before hitting the island. Guam leaders also were aware that Air Force WC-130 aircraft, flying from bases in the southeastern United States, were able to accurately gauge the precise speed and direction of Hurricane Andrew, allowing residents of South Florida and Louisiana ample opportunity to prepare for that storm.

“We believe we were not adequately warned of the disaster before us,” Guam Senator Michael Reidy said as he introduced a “Typhoon Tracker” resol ution in the Guam Legislature on

September 1.

The measure demanded the US De partment of Defense return the weather

aircraft to Guam. Reidy countered opponents who argued the navy fore casters should not be blamed by saying the devastation throughout the island proved otherwise. “The facts speak for themselves,” he said. The resolution passed by a majority vote.

Omar hit the most heavily populated sections of Guam with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour and gusts up to 155.

The storm was an exceptionally slow moving front, virtually sitting on the northern and central two-thirds of the island for about nine hours. An estimated 3000 wood-frame houses as well as

thousands of other wooden structures were destroyed.

Reinforced concrete government buildings and tourist hotels had windows blown out and suffered heavy waten damage. Construction cranes at building sites were twisted into corkl screws.

US military installations were simi-j larly hard hit. At the US Navy Base in Apra Harbor, two US navy supply ships' snapped their moorings, ripped metal mooring cleats from concrete piers, and were blown aground on reefs and sandbars. The powerful winds sent a dozen Korean and Taiwanese fishing boats to the bottom of the harbour, spilling oil throughout the berthing areas. Several Anderson Air Force Base buildings received heavy structural and water damage. Agricultural damage was! extensive and the entire northern half of the island was stripped clear of trees and greenery, leaving a desolate brown landscape.

Aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Florida: residents had ample opportunity to prepare

Omar knocked out power throughout he island and the water supply, raised ■om wells through electric pumps, also ts out for two days.

Roads were blocked by downed trees, tppled power poles and debris. Even a 11 1 1 ozen reinforced concrete power line oles were blown over. r . rp • , , Early unomcial damage estimates i , • , • , , laced residential and Guam govern- . . , „ & lent property damage at $3OO million, T( f • i■ • P t a-, r n ihtary facilities, about $l5O million, bile hotel and resort property received tout $25 million in damage. Those were expected to increase as more

‘tailed damage surveys are completed.

Some 3500 residents evacuated their • . , , , , . j >me to 12 island school shelters, and 100 of those were left homeless by the structive winds. Several hundred of ese were moved to empty Japanese sort hotels, and placed in $2OO-a-night

rooms, accommodation they would probably never have enjoyed had not Omar hit the island. Other local resi dents preferred to return to their prop and ‘ ents provided by the US , NaVy > untll the y could rebulld ,heir homes Those schools used as shelters cannot resume classes until the shelters are , , 0 , Ul . , . cleared. Guam s public school system, .• . , T 0 r which educates about 35,000 students, • , , , , ’ ... ’ remained closed until schools could clean ~,, , . , .

Up , he Water , a " d debriS a " d lns P ectors C ° U ' d eVa ' Uate bulldmg Safety ' About 20,000 Japanese tourists were stranded at the hotels and airport for ™’ beCaUSe St ° rm out the airports control tower windows, ~j, , • . I drenched electronic equipment, and

damaged grOUnd radars '

The frantic Japanese visitors were later

Only 12 hours before Omar came ashore, US navy weather forecasters were still reporting it as only a tropical storm with sustained winds of 60 to 70 miles per hour.

In the aftermath, angry Guam officials blamed

the faulty forecasting on

the absence of US Air Force storm tracking aircraft the typhoon trackers. The group was pulled off Guam in 1987 in a Pentagon budget cutting move.

taken off the island by special daylight flights, at the rate of 3000 to 5000 a day.

The Japan Travel Bureau cancelled all tours to Guam and placed a travel moratorium on the island until the situation stabilised and conditions im proved. Guam tourism officials estimated they would lose $l5 to $2O million in revenue in September because, even when Japanese travel is resumed, it is expected to decline as much as 40 per cent due to storm damage.

Within hours of Omar’s destructive visit, Guam Governor Joseph Ada de clared a disaster emergency and ordered the Guam Army National Guard to begin clearing roads and distributing emergency food and water.

In a telephone call to US President George Bush, who was at Camp David, Ada received an oral Presidential Disas ter Declaration which immediately made available millions in Federal grants and loans for temporary housing and recon struction. It was an unusually rapid Presidential response.

Bush, facing a very tough come-from behind-re-election campaign, had been stung by Democratic criticism that he had reacted too slowly to the Hurricane Andrew disaster in South Florida which left 50,000 homeless.

The US military rendered assistance in clearing Guam roads and distributing tents, blankets, plastic roof covering, power generators and other necessities.

Admiral Charles Larsen, the US Commander-in-Chief- Pacific, visited Guam two days after the storm and pledged the full co-operation of his forces in the recovery effort.

The Federal Emergency Management

Agency and the Small Business Admin istration were on Guam within 48 hours of the storm, providing assistance to the local government in estimating damage and setting up offices to distribute financial assistance.

The American Red Cross and numer ous local businesses began distributing food, water, and medical care to the homeless. Private companies donated power generators, food, and drinking water to the shelters and the major

cleanup and rebuilding was underway by

the end of the first week.