Weather Service officials said at a Wednesday afternoon briefing that they expect the storm to pass through the center of Guam between 5pm and 7pm local time. Sea levels were about 30 meters in some areas along the coast.
Ahead of the storm, some US Coast Guard vessels they left the area – where the US military is stationed in the Pacific – as a precautionary measure, while other ships were towed or grounded due to severe weather.
President Biden too he accepted the emergency declaration which directs local authorities to assist in the response to the storm.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero (D) Tuesday ordered the residents in low-lying coastal areas and in areas prone to flooding to move inland. The authorities have also encouraged people living in houses built with unsightly materials such as wood and tin to consider moving to emergency shelters. Landslides are a major risk.
Guam has a population of over 150,000 people, most of whom live in coastal communities. Initially the southern villages of Inalahan, Ipan, Talofofo, Malesso, Hagat and Humatak were at high risk due to the heavy rains of the typhoon along with damaging winds, although the weather service changed their forecast, saying that the change in the wind means that the path of the storm will bring more water. and flooding west and north of Guam.
Residents full of food and fresh water As officials predicted, power and water could be lost across the island, possibly for days.
Guam has a long history of tropical storms. Typhoon Karen, a Category 5 typhoon in 1962, killed 11 people and left thousands homeless. Storm Omar it landed on the island in 1992injuring many people, destroying homes and cutting power across the island, when Typhoon Pongsona, a Category 4 storm, hit in 2002.
Weather officials expect the storm to continue through Thursday morning, urging people to stay indoors until then.