After Typhoon Mawar, Thousands on Guam Lack Power and Water
Thousands of people across the island of Guam remained without power, water and cellphone service on Friday, more than a week after the U.S. territory was pummeled by the strongest typhoon in at least two decades, which flooded homes, downed coconut and mango trees, and disrupted basic services.
“Losing water has been the hardest part,” said Melinda Sanchez, 50, whose family lives in central Guam. Still, she said, island residents were familiar with storm-related disruptions. “We just go back to what we’ve learned to do during these times. We get through it.”
The typhoon, Mawar, brought widespread flooding and 140 mile-per-hour winds, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, when it struck the island of 150,000 people in the Pacific Ocean on May 24, knocking out power across much of the territory. Now a tropical storm, Mawar forced the evacuation of 1.2 million people as it approached Japan on Friday.
No deaths were reported on Guam, which is home to bases for the U.S. Navy and Air Force, but officials said the restoration of basic services to some parts of the island could take several weeks.
Source: The New York Times
