Typhoon Mawar strikes Guam, much of island without power, water

Robert Besser
29 May 2023, 11:59 GMT+10

After Typhoon Mawar brought strong winds and torrential rains, large areas of the US Western Pacific territory of Guam were left without power and water
Crews were working to restore electricity, giving priority to critical infrastructure such as hospitals and wastewater facilities, and then to homes and businesses
None of the 170,000 people who live on Guam were killed or suffered major injuries in the storm

GUAM: After Typhoon Mawar brought strong winds and torrential rains, large areas of the US Western Pacific territory of Guam were left without power and water, but there were no reported deaths or major injuries.

According to local media and the Guam Waterworks Authority, the island's residents were ordered to boil water, as crews repaired generators damaged by the typhoon, whose 150-mile per hour winds downed power lines and trees, causing widespread power outages.

Crews were working to restore electricity, giving priority to critical infrastructure such as hospitals and wastewater facilities, and then to homes and businesses, Guam Power Authority.

In a statement, the Guam Homeland Security said, "None of the 170,000 people who live on Guam were killed or suffered major injuries in the storm. About 980 people were staying at shelters across the island."

"I am so glad we are safe. We have weathered this storm. The worst has gone by," said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero in a video message to the island's residents.

The US National Weather Service said the eye of Mawar, one the most powerful storms in decades to strike the island, tracked just north of Guam early on May 25, moving northwest at 8 mph and causing rainfall of up to 2 inches per hour overnight.

Wind speeds placed the storm in Category 4, the second-strongest designation, and just under Category 5.