Guam Typhoon: Red Crossers Still Helping on the Islands

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American Red Cross volunteers Tom Rheinschmidt, Francis Porter and Mike Wood unload essential supplies like hygiene kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans and mosquito nets, provided by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). IFRC logistics teams first loaded the supplies at their regional warehouse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and prepared them for transportation to the island of Guam where Typhoon Mawar hit in late May 2023. Photo by Carmela Burke/American Red Cross

residents are still without power and water

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Nearly two weeks after Typhoon Mawar hit Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, many residents are still without power and water and it could be weeks before these systems are fully restored on the western Pacific islands. The powerful storm flooded homes, tore off roofs, downed power lines and damaged water wells. The Red Cross is helping people with medical or disability needs, as well as emotional and spiritual support during these challenging times. Photo by Kim Mailes/American Red Cross

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“We lost everything in Typhoon Mawar,” said Otanis Otokiday. “I’m happy the Red Cross is here to help us.” Red Cross Shelter Resident Transition teams meet with each shelter resident to not only provide immediate disaster relief, but also offer additional Red Cross disaster assistance and connect folks with services available from our partners to help them get their lives back to normal. Photo by Kim Mailes/American Red Cross

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83-year-old Ben Meno’s home in Inarajan, Guam suffered major damage in the storm. “This is my home, the home given to me by my mother,” he said. “I’ve lived here all my life. I had to stay.” In 1917 Typhoon Paka severely damaged the family home and Red Cross disaster relief at that time made it possible for the family to rebuild. “I cannot express what the Red Cross has meant to me all these years,” he said. They have been here when I needed them the most. I love the Red Cross.” Photo by Kim Mailes/American Red Cross

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The Red Cross Disaster Assessment (DA) team arrives at the remote Guam home of Isaac and Bobbie Jean. When it is safe after a disaster, trained Red Cross DA teams go house to house — even in remote areas — to assess the damage and build a database to inform Red Cross assistance to those affected by Typhoon Mawar. The couple were without electricity and safe water when Red Cross teams arrived to provide fresh water, along with clean up to help them make their house livable again. Now Disaster Assessment Teams are following up to survey the damage and determine the level of future assistance. “You guys came just when we needed lots of help,” Isaac said. “The supplies you gave us means a lot, but it’s even more important just to know someone cares. We’re very thankful for the American Red Cross.” Photo by Kim Mailes/American Red Cross

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American Red Cross volunteer Bob Walpert is part of the mobile feeding team distributing hot meals throughout Zero Down, one of the hardest-hit villages in Guam. Over two weeks ago, Typhoon Mawar devastated the island, and many remote villages like Zero Down are still without power and safe drinking water. The American Red Cross is distributing two meals each day and water to these neighborhoods and will continue to provide disaster relief services until power is restored on the island and those affected can begin to rebuild their homes and their lives. Photo by Kim Mailes/American Red Cross

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Kenneth Romero, American Red Cross Service to Armed Forces Supervisor, and May Sawyer, SAF Program Manager, unload meals to be distributed at the Andersen Air Force Base shelter in Guam. It has been weeks since Typhoon Mawar and the Red Cross continues to serve the military community. Photo by Kim Mailes/American Red Cross

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Weeks after Typhoon Mawar devastated Guam, those affected are still rebuilding their lives. Hundreds of home are still without power and lack access to safe drinking water. In response, the American Red Cross has set up pop-up sites where caseworkers can interact with residents in their own neighborhoods. Red Cross volunteers Sara Dorow and Kaitlyn Kendall listen carefully as a resident describes the damage to her home and help connect her with disaster relief available to begin rebuilding her life. Photo by Kim Mailes/American Red Cross

July 05, 2023

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

It’s been six weeks since Typhoon Mawar hit Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Since the storm made impact, the islands have made significant progress, but there are still more than 1,400 homes sustaining major damage or destroyed, and other areas still without water or power.

More than 100 trained Red Cross disaster workers from all over the United States are on the islands, providing shelter, supporting feeding efforts and assessing residential damage to support people affected by this powerful storm.

The Red Cross is supporting feeding on the islands. So far, disaster workers and partners have provided more than 319,000 meals and snacks since the storm hit the islands.
Since the typhoon made landfall, the Red Cross has distributed relief supplies such as clean-up kits, tarps, coolers, flashlights and personal hygiene items to nearly 8,000 households throughout the affected communities.
The Red Cross, in partnership with local government on the islands, has provided more than 25,900 overnight shelter stays for almost 890 people in as many as 26 emergency shelters.

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.

SITUATION IMPROVING

The American Red Cross is still managing two major shelters in Guam, where a steady population remains. There are multi-generation living arrangements on the islands, so we have created “family pods” where cots are grouped together to keep families close. We also have had three new mothers come to our shelter with newborns and have established a mini maternity ward.

We continue to help households transition to new temporary or permanent living situations. The Red Cross has held two resource fairs in our shelters where multiple agencies come together to provide resources for recovery, including Guam Housing, Guam Office of Homelessness and Poverty Prevention, Salvation Army, FEMA, Micronesian Legal Aid, and more.

Housing solutions are scarce, but the whole community is coming together to find solutions. The Army Corps of Engineers is installing tin roofs as part of the Rise Up Program, 8-person Temporary Modular Sheltering Solutions (TMSS) are going out to those who have destroyed homes and are in our shelters, FEMA and Red Cross are both providing financial assistance, and FEMA and Guam Housing Authority have provided rental assistance.

As a part of Shelter Resident Transition programs, trained Red Cross caseworkers are meeting with households to help find solutions for temporary housing. In partnership with the Department of Education, some summer camp options for youth in our shelters are being explored, and AmeriCorps plans to provide crisis cleanup of homes.

Red Cross volunteers are hard at work moving supplies for logistics, resupplying for the next storm, hosting pop-up casework sites for individual assistance, conducting damage assessment, attending government and partner meetings, training new volunteers to support the mission, and helping build capacity for the days ahead.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster, regardless of cost.

ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Best Buy; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PayPal; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and Wells Fargo.

ADGP $500K Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; CarMax; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Dollar General; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company Fund; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org The Home Depot Foundation; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; Merck; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; and The Wawa Foundation.

ADGP $250K Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; CDW; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; CSX; DHL Supply Chain; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Foundation; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; HCA Healthcare; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LHC Group; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Martin Marietta; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Organon; Pacific Life Foundation; Procter & Gamble; Prudential; Raytheon Technologies; Reckitt; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Project, a project of New Venture Fund; Ross Stores Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Stanley Black & Decker; Southwest Airlines; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; U.S. Bank Foundation; and Zurich.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.