HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Salvation Army Guam Corps is among the organizations on island that have been working to assist residents in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar.
The organization’s officers, employees and volunteers have been driving out to hard-hit village areas, providing hot meals, food bags and vouchers for the Salvation Army thrift store in Tamuning, as well as gas vouchers, hygiene products and water to residents significantly affected by the typhoon.
Maj. Tom Stambaugh served as head of the Salvation Army on Guam from 2016 to 2020. He had been stationed in Boise, Idaho, but is back on island, acting as the public information officer for the Salvation Army here.
“Guam never left my heart, so when we saw the storm coming, we started writing emails about coming out to assist with the response the Salvation Army was going to mount up to do. … And so, our leadership gave me permission to fly out here and come and serve alongside this hard-working team,” Stambaugh said.
On Wednesday morning, Stambaugh and other Salvation Army personnel and volunteers were preparing to make deliveries at the Takano subdivision in Yigo, with plans to then visit the Swamp Road area in Dededo.
“A lot of our staff here were affected by the storm. A lot of these guys still don’t have power and water, like a lot of people. And so, they came back to work and started serving immediately,” Stambaugh told The Guam Daily Post, adding later that some clients from the Lighthouse Recovery Center also came out to assist with deliveries of aid.
The Salvation Army partnered with some entities to purchase the hot meals they bring out for distribution, according to Stambaugh.
The trek to Takano
A van carrying supplies for Wednesday’s lunchtime distribution first made stops at the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon and Jamaican Grill in Dededo to pick up meals before heading to the Takano subdivision.
Driving through major roadways leading up to the subdivision instills a sense of progress toward the normalcy that Mawar violently disrupted two weeks ago.
Power had been restored at several intersections, allowing traffic lights to guide motorists where members of the Guam National Guard may have once stood, wielding whistles and batons. Guard members were at some of the major intersections still devoid of power.
Remnants from the typhoon were more prominent entering the residential area leading to Takano. Piles of green waste and debris were stacked in front of people’s properties, some neatly, others not so much, as residents worked to clean or repair damage left by the typhoon.
The contrast became even more apparent as the pavement gave way to a dirt road. The Salvation Army caravan stopped at the subdivision. The supply van parked near a large concrete structure, apparently still in the middle of construction, with doors and windows missing. Behind that were several homes with tin roofs partly or completely blown away, although some didn’t have any occupants, the Post was told.
‘It’s very hot’
Soiel Inos, a father of seven, and several of his family members met Salvation Army personnel to receive distributed items. He said no one was hurt by the typhoon. They don’t have power, but at least have water.
“It’s very hot,” Inos said. “We sleep out here. Once it’s raining, go inside,” referring to the concrete structure, which is meant to be a church eventually.
A couple of the children said some of them sleep in the church, on top of a raised plywood structure that serves as their bed.
Seeking donations
The Salvation Army Guam Corps is asking for donations to help further its work in assisting residents. Donations can be made online at Guam.SalvationArmy.org. Donations also can be made at its headquarters in Tiyan.
“That will help us buy the things that we need right now,” Stambaugh said. “Whether that’s hot food or cleaning materials or whatever we end up doing in the next few weeks, we’ll have the financial backing to continue the work.”
The Salvation Army is running low on donations for its thrift store, which is where residents can use the vouchers being handed out. The organization is looking for lightly used clothes, which should be cleaned and washed. The Salvation Army also is looking for household goods, including furniture, dishes or other things that can be used by residents whose homes were severely damaged by the typhoon.
Six-year-old Jenova Alexander is seen with a donated lunch plate in Yigo on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
Capt. Hector Acosta of the Salvation Army Guam Corps hands a lunch plate from the Hyatt Regency Guam to Kehanymay Williams, 9, as part of a post-Typhoon Mawar outreach in Yigo on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
