|
|
Join Our Forum
|
|
Typhoons are a common occurrence on Guam.
We've been here since 2000, and have survived several small ones and one
super-typhoon (that's a Category 5 hurricane). In fact, the eyes of six typhoons
had passed over Guam in the ten years before Super-typhoon Pongsona (2002). The
islanders are very experienced, the authorities well prepared, and building
codes are very strict so injuries from storms are few. The problems, as you'll
see, come afterwards.
Guam has unique problems in facing storms, being so far from the mainland and
being such a small island. Many of the preparations I've outlined will be
unnecessary for you unless you are an islander, but it never hurts to be
prepared for anything! No one on Guam should ever be without either an LP gas
stove, a camp stove, or an outdoor grill - and the fuel to run them. We have an
outside LP gas stove (with a full oven and broiler), 3 charcoal grills, a gas
grill with a burner, and a small propane camp stove.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STORMS AND TYPHOONS:
Typhoons are the same as hurricanes, occurring on the other side of the
International Date Line. They are violent storms that begin close to the equator
where the water is warm and the earth's spin influences the winds. On Guam,
typhoon season is from July through December, but they have occurred at other
times of the year. In fact, at least two of the most catastrophic typhoons
occurred outside of typhoon season.
TYPHOON TERMINOLOGY:
-
TROPICAL CYCLONE -
any low-pressure in the tropics that has
a rotation, with organized clouds
-
TROPICAL DISTURBANCE -
persistent clouds and
thunderstorms activity
-
TROPICAL DEPRESSION -
a tropical cyclone with sustained winds less than 39 mph
-
TROPICAL STORM -
a tropical cyclone with sustained winds
of 40-73 mph
-
TYPHOON -
tropical cyclone with sustained winds over 74 mph
-
Category 1 (Minimal
Typhoon) -
sustained
winds 74-95 mph with some damage to trees and plants, and a chance of
coastal flooding. We call them "Banana typhoons"
-
Category 2 (Moderate
Typhoon) -
sustained
winds 96-110 mph with damage to vegetation and unsecured homes and
damage to windows and doors
-
Category 3 (Severe
Typhoon) -
sustained
winds of 111-130 mph with structural damage to wood and tin houses,
damage to roof tiles, and coastal flooding
-
Category 4 (Extreme
Typhoon) -
sustained
winds of 131-155 mph with damage from flying objects, flooding in many
areas; unsecured roofs may lift
-
Category 5
(Catastrophic Typhoon) -
sustained winds over 155 mph with building damage, structural failures,
complete roof failure for unsecured roofs, and household flooding
a term for a tropical cyclone with
sustained winds of 150 mph or higher
EYE -
the center of a tropical storm with the
lowest atmospheric pressure is recorded, the sky is clear and the winds are
calm
EYE WALL -
towering clouds around the eye of the storm where the highest wind speeds
and heaviest rain occurs
TYPHOON ALLEY -
Guam is located in Micronesia, a sector of the Pacific ocean known as
"typhoon alley," which is defined by a concentration of typhoon tracks along
the axis of the monsoon trough which prevails for most of the summer and
fall. It is a term not taken lightly
by the citizens of Guam. Although the last two years have been relatively
quiet, there is an average of 31 tropical storms in the western north
Pacific every year with one or more affecting the island. Guam has been
impacted by about 21 typhoons since 1970 and devastated by five since 1960.
In December 2002, Guam was hit by Super-Typhoon Pongsona (pronounced Bong-Son-Wa'),
which means "pretty little lotus flower" in Korean and it certainly was NOT
that! The damage we expected from a major storm -- downed power lines, no power/water for weeks, and storm
debris, was nothing compared to this typhoon: a large gasoline storage tank was set ablaze by the winds and
the tank burned for days afterwards. As a result, there was no gasoline for cars or generators, and most stores
lost their refrigerated and frozen foods. Also, the island's only ice producer was destroyed, so there was no
ice for coolers. The Governor ordered the gas stations not to sell gas to civilians and demanded that everyone
stay home. That made it very difficult to travel to collect water or food, so we were left to what we had
on hand (which, in our case, was very dirty rain water collected in a trash can), for over 5 days.
Preliminary damage figures for the island were around $700 million. Pongsona was the third strongest
typhoon in history to strike Guam, and was among the five costliest. The 40 mile wide eye passed over the
northern half of the island exposing the most populated areas to the eyewall with typhoon-force winds for up to
five hours. Up to 26 inches of rain was reported. There were 3 fatalities that couldn't be classified as direct
or indirect, over 200 injuries, and 2,000 people left homeless. Considering the population was around 170,000 at
the time, and that every inch of the island was battered by the storm for hours, it's pretty amazing that only
1% of us were uprooted! It's because here on Guam, as in most of the Pacific Islands, we don't expect the
government to take care of us - we take responsibility for our own safety and survival.
|
Often the weather service gives a typhoon's distance from Guam in nautical miles. While we all know the difference, a chart is helpful if you are trying to determine the onset of winds. Here is a small chart to help: |
|
Nautical Miles (knots) |
Miles (mph) |
If you want to track a typhoon (I'm not sure whether I do it because it's fun or
because I'm obsessive), there is a storm tracking map
in the phone book - you write down the latitude (across) and longitude (up & down) coordinates of the storm
as they are read on the weather reports. Then mark a dot on the map for each new coordinate. Don't depend on
the storm following a straight line, though - they are usually very unpredictable and can change course many
times.
Remember that, although a storm's center is still several hours out, the damaging winds can
occur well before the eye hits you. Depending on the storm's size and strength, this could be very dangerous
for you and your home. Once Condition 1 (COR 1) is declared,
you should not go outside. In Super-Typhoon Pongsona,the winds kicked up and we
lost power and water several hours before the storm actually hit. We know better now, but had not put the
electric storm shutters down because we figured it would take only 5 minutes. Instead, they had to be put down
manually which takes considerably longer. |
5-15
20
35
50
65
80
95
110
125
140
155
170
185
|
5-15
25
40
60
75
90
110
125
145
160
180
195
210
|
About Storm Warning Systems
When we first arrived on Guam, the
government followed the National Weather Service storm warning system.
That included Tropical Storm watches and warnings, and Typhoon watches and warnings. The preparation for each
was different: obviously, a tropical storm is not going to be as dangerous as a typhoon. Now, GovGuam has
adopted a "Conditions of Readiness" system (I believe this may be the same that the military uses),
in which the conditions of readiness are the same for tropical storms and typhoons. I find this system much
more difficult to follow, so I have made separate checklists for each. Now, obviously, there is a chance that the tropical storm that is 6 hours away may become a typhoon before it hits - but most likely will not be a catastrophic typhoon. If that happens, we just pull out the typhoon checklist and do what we can. |
TYPHOON CONDITIONS OF READINESS (COR):
COR 4 (ALWAYS)
- winds of 75 MPH or higher are possible within 72 hours
COR 3 (WATCH)
- winds of 75 MPH or higher are possible within 48 hours
COR 2 (WARNING)-
damaging winds of 75 MPH or higher are expected within 24 hours
COR 1 (TIME'S UP)
- damaging winds of 75 MPH or higher are expected within 12 hours
TROPICAL STORM
 Tropical storms are less dangerous than typhoons, although the preparation for one is very similar. Even with winds up to 50 miles per hour, there is a
strong possibility of power outages, downed trees, flying debris (such as your neighbor's tin roof), flooding and loss of water supply. We
have tropical storms every year (sometimes several) - in fact, many of the typhoons we have prepared for have only hit us with tropical storm winds.
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS OF READINESS (COR):
COR 4 (ALWAYS)
- winds of 39-74 MPH are possible within 72 hours
COR 3 (WATCH)
- winds of 39-74 MPH are possible within 48 hours
COR 2 (WARNING) - damaging
winds of 39-74 MPH are expected within 24 hours
COR 1 (TIME'S UP!) -
damaging winds of 39-74 MPH are expected within 12 hours
Coming Soon: Tropical storm checklists.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a weather specialist, and have no experience in weather forecasting (except my
right hip, which is one of the best forecasters I know of!). These lists and guidelines are my personal
compilations, and are in no way endorsed by the Government of Guam or the National Weather Service.
---- Remember, in many emergencies, your computer will be inaccessible, so a hard copy of any Paradise Organized chapters you find especially helpful is
a good thing to have on hand! ----
Home> Paradise Survived>
Survive a Disaster> Survive a
Typhoon
Home>
|
|