HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Joint Region Marianas Commander Rear Adm. Gregory Huffman have now declared Condition of Readiness 4 on Guam. All government of Guam agencies should be open and operational.
According to a release from the Joint Information Center, Leon Guerrero conducted an assessment at first light today, and all major thoroughfares were accessible and clear of any major debris.
“The community is reminded to conduct assessments around their homes in a safe manner,” the release stated.
In a video message, the governor stated that Guam is “very blessed and fortunate” that there are no major damages on island.
“Houses are up, commercial buildings are intact, ALL RISE roofs that have been done are standing strong, (Federal Emergency Management Agency) tents are up. Every part of our island is pretty much safe. I just want to thank the people of Guam for their adherence to our warnings and to follow our request to prepare and plan for the storm,” Leon Guerrero stated in the video message.
Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio asked residents to continue to be safe.
“We’ve been very blessed that this storm did not hit us with damaging winds. Now our work returns to restoring this island,” Tenorio added.
Joint Region Marianas, Naval Base Guam, Andersen Air Force Base and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz conducted assessments as well and declared they were all clear, according to the JIC release.
“For all military base personnel, please report to work when it is safe for you to do so. For base patrons, please continue to visit the JRM Facebook page as well as each of the individual military installation social media pages for all of the latest information about the return to steady state and the availability of services,” the release added.
Typhoon Bolaven passed between Rota and Tinian overnight. It approached closest to Rota, at about 20 miles north of the island at 5 p.m. The closest point of approach for Guam was about 50 miles away at around 4 p.m.
Bolaven was about 205 miles north of Guam as of 7 a.m., moving north-northwest at 10 mph. The typhoon watch and tropical storm warning for Guam was cancelled at 8 a.m.
Residents are still being asked to remain out of the water due to life-threatening surf conditions.
“Hazardous to dangerous sea and surf conditions are still expected. High risk of rip currents is in effect. Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from the shore into deeper water. Residents and visitors of Guam and the (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islads) are advised to remain out of the water,” the JIC release stated.
“Residents and visitors are also advised against venturing along trails close to the water or shoreline, as high surf can knock a person down and sweep them off beaches and rocks. These waves can be deadly, even for the most experienced swimmers,” the release added.
As of 9:30 a.m., there were about 228 occupants still in public schools that were opened as shelters for the storm. That’s about half of the occupants reported Tuesday night.
This screenshot was taken of a video message released by the Office of the Governor on Oct. 11, 2023. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio reported on their assessment of the island following the passage of Typhoon Bolaven.
