Standing Strong: Guam’s Resilience in the Aftermath of Super Typhoon Mawar
Amid the extensive damage caused by Super Typhoon Mawar, the District Vice President of the Machinists Union in Guam, is encouraging residents to seek help from the Machinists Union Disaster Relief Fund.
Vice President Sharon Sugiyama said the fund offers immediate support to union members and their families following natural disasters. Sugiyama has committed to helping affected Union Members find and complete the paperwork to apply for assistance.
Sugiyama underscored the high need for assistance among the approximately 800 United employees on the island, some of whom had suffered damage to homes, and many others prevented from working due to the storm.
“Right now, there’s an urgent need for things like gas and water, and especially electricity,” she said of the damage left in the wake of the storm. “Lines for gas are unbelievable,” she continued, adding that cars are waiting hours in lines more than four miles long. “We’re missing things like ice and water,” she added.
Established to provide swift assistance in instances of natural disasters, the IAM Disaster Relief Fund has been a lifeline for its members and their families in times of need. It assists those impacted by natural disasters, often before other sources of aid can react.
The Disaster Relief assistance program is funded by direct, voluntary contributions from Machinists Union Members.
The Pacific Island of Guam, a U.S. territory, is undergoing an extensive cleanup following last week’s devastation caused by Typhoon Mawar. When the Typhoon made landfall, its projected continuous winds of 140 mph led to the destruction of homes, upended vehicles, and caused the demolition of wind sensors at the airport, which recorded a gust of 105 mph. The breadth of the damage is such that only aerial images can genuinely illustrate the vast extent of the destruction.
The Governor of Guam, Lou Leon Guerrero, said in a social media post that the island had endured “an alarming ordeal unmatched in over twenty years.”
In the Western Pacific, typhoons are tropical cyclones with intensity equivalent to hurricanes.
Nearly 98% of Guam experienced a power outage during the Typhoon. The governor told news agencies it took almost two days for the Guam Power Authority to fully restore power to the Guam Memorial Hospital. Workforces are operating on round-the-clock shifts to reestablish electricity throughout the island.
A National Weather Service meteorologist provided a disturbing description of the aftermath in a Facebook video update after the storm’s departure, saying, “As we observe from our doors, what once was a lush jungle now resembles a forest of splintered wood.”
Guam serves as an essential base for U.S. forces in the Pacific, with approximately 6,800 service members stationed on the island. In response to the storm, military officials executed evacuation procedures for personnel, dependents, and employees, dispatched ships to safer waters, and either relocated aircraft off the island or secured them in protective hangars.
United Airlines, a significant employer on the island, has approximately 800 employees in Guam and many hundreds more across national airports who hail from the North Pacific Island.
Related News
Have You Voted Yet?
We wanted to check in to make sure you have voted or have a plan to vote in this very important election. Visit iam2020.org to get all the information you need to vote. You may remember that IAM members voted to endorse Joe Biden in a first-of-its-kind membership vote...
“Halloween Hurricane” Zeta Batters Air Travel Along the Gulf Coast
Zeta has weakened to a tropical storm over Alabama after slamming into the Louisiana Coastline as a Catagory 2 hurricane just days before Halloween. Airline workers have faced 27 tropical storms in 2020, with 11 of them strengthening to hurricane status. The last year...
VOTE! Only One Week Left
There are seven days left before Election Day and we want to make sure every Machinists Union member has a plan to vote. There is too much at stake to sit this election out. Visit iam2020.org today to find your polling place, see early voting locations, locate a...
Stay up to date with all the latest news and information from the Machinists Union
Standing Strong: Guam’s Resilience in the Aftermath of Super Typhoon Mawar
June 1, 2023
Amid the extensive damage caused by Super Typhoon Mawar, the District Vice President of the Machinists Union in Guam, is encouraging residents to seek help from the Machinists Union Disaster Relief Fund.
Vice President Sharon Sugiyama said the fund offers immediate support to union members and their families following natural disasters. Sugiyama has committed to helping affected Union Members find and complete the paperwork to apply for assistance.
Sugiyama underscored the high need for assistance among the approximately 800 United employees on the island, some of whom had suffered damage to homes, and many others prevented from working due to the storm.
“Right now, there’s an urgent need for things like gas and water, and especially electricity,” she said of the damage left in the wake of the storm. “Lines for gas are unbelievable,” she continued, adding that cars are waiting hours in lines more than four miles long. “We’re missing things like ice and water,” she added.
Established to provide swift assistance in instances of natural disasters, the IAM Disaster Relief Fund has been a lifeline for its members and their families in times of need. It assists those impacted by natural disasters, often before other sources of aid can react.
The Disaster Relief assistance program is funded by direct, voluntary contributions from Machinists Union Members.
The Pacific Island of Guam, a U.S. territory, is undergoing an extensive cleanup following last week’s devastation caused by Typhoon Mawar. When the Typhoon made landfall, its projected continuous winds of 140 mph led to the destruction of homes, upended vehicles, and caused the demolition of wind sensors at the airport, which recorded a gust of 105 mph. The breadth of the damage is such that only aerial images can genuinely illustrate the vast extent of the destruction.
The Governor of Guam, Lou Leon Guerrero, said in a social media post that the island had endured “an alarming ordeal unmatched in over twenty years.”
In the Western Pacific, typhoons are tropical cyclones with intensity equivalent to hurricanes.
Nearly 98% of Guam experienced a power outage during the Typhoon. The governor told news agencies it took almost two days for the Guam Power Authority to fully restore power to the Guam Memorial Hospital. Workforces are operating on round-the-clock shifts to reestablish electricity throughout the island.
A National Weather Service meteorologist provided a disturbing description of the aftermath in a Facebook video update after the storm’s departure, saying, “As we observe from our doors, what once was a lush jungle now resembles a forest of splintered wood.”
Guam serves as an essential base for U.S. forces in the Pacific, with approximately 6,800 service members stationed on the island. In response to the storm, military officials executed evacuation procedures for personnel, dependents, and employees, dispatched ships to safer waters, and either relocated aircraft off the island or secured them in protective hangars.
United Airlines, a significant employer on the island, has approximately 800 employees in Guam and many hundreds more across national airports who hail from the North Pacific Island.
Related
Have You Voted Yet?
We wanted to check in to make sure you have voted or have a plan to vote in this very important election. Visit iam2020.org to get all the information you need to vote. You may remember that IAM members voted to endorse Joe Biden in a first-of-its-kind membership vote...
“Halloween Hurricane” Zeta Batters Air Travel Along the Gulf Coast
Zeta has weakened to a tropical storm over Alabama after slamming into the Louisiana Coastline as a Catagory 2 hurricane just days before Halloween. Airline workers have faced 27 tropical storms in 2020, with 11 of them strengthening to hurricane status. The last year...
VOTE! Only One Week Left
There are seven days left before Election Day and we want to make sure every Machinists Union member has a plan to vote. There is too much at stake to sit this election out. Visit iam2020.org today to find your polling place, see early voting locations, locate a...