HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Guam Power Authority said it will continue to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on cost reimbursements for damage caused by Typhoon Mawar, as well as on mitigation projects, and will work closely with Guam Del. James Moylan to receive as much aid as possible to strengthen local infrastructure against typhoons and bad actor threats.
Similarly, acting Gov. Josh Tenorio stated in a letter to Moylan that the governor’s administration continues to work with FEMA in pursuit of federal funding for Mawar recovery, and that Adelup would keep him apprised of efforts to obtain federal funding for the hardening of critical island infrastructure.
GPA’s statement and Tenorio’s letter to Moylan come after the delegate submitted letters to both the governor and the GPA general manager, informing them that $16 billion in disaster relief funding was made available through the federal continuing resolution enacted at the end of September. This was the stopgap measure passed to prevent a partial federal government shutdown.
According to Moylan, any claims for damage caused by Typhoon Mawar should be filed with FEMA at once because the longer Guam waits to make claims, the higher the chance that more recent disasters in the U.S. will take precedence over the island’s long-term recovery.
According to GPA, the utility has been working with FEMA representatives over the past few months to file and process claims resulting from Typhoon Mawar.
“At this time, all damage incurred by the authority have been submitted to FEMA. However, FEMA site inspections are still ongoing due to the extent of damage on key utility infrastructure and claims have not been processed for disbursement,” the utility told The Guam Daily Post in a statement.
The acting governor told Moylan that the administration was aware that other U.S. territories have received billions of dollars in federal funding for hospitals and the hardening of infrastructure, including electric grids.
“We hope for equitable funding for Guam to help maintain essential public services and protect critical assets, including our only public hospital, power grid and water system, during natural disasters, cyberattacks and other similar threats,” Tenorio said in his letter to Moylan.
Typhoon Mawar struck the island in late May, causing significant damage to the island’s power system, among other widespread damage.
It would take about $6.4 billion to fully implement an underground power system on Guam, excluding 115-kilovolt transmission lines, GPA General Manager John Benavente has said previously. The utility is looking for partners to invest in Guam’s energy resiliency and is reaching out to various entities, including FEMA and the U.S. military.
In addition to whatever funding or support GPA may be able to get from these entities, whether for disaster relief or infrastructure hardening, about $871,337 per year also is available to Guam for the next five years, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
However, it isn’t just the island’s physical infrastructure at play. Guam is a frequent target for China-backed hacker groups because of the U.S. military presence on the island.
Guam Power Authority’s aging Cabras 1 and 2 power plants are seen Friday, March 10, 2023, in Piti. Jonah Benavente/The Guam Daily Post
