Tropical storm Chataan has killed more than 20 people in Chuuk and continues to approach the Mariana Islands.
Chuuk Gov. Dr. Ansito Walter declared a “state of emergency” there effective yesterday.
Chuuk State Hospital said close to 100 people were brought in for medical assessment and assistance, according to the Federated States of Micronesia’s Public Information Office.
Thousands of displaced Chuuk residents have moved to emergency shelters.
Meanwhile, the CNMI Emergency Management Office and the National Weather Service on Guam forecast “increasing clouds with scattered showers” during today’s Liberation Day festivities.
Rainshowers are expected toward the evening, with northeast winds ranging from 15 to 25 miles per hour. Tropical storm conditions are also possible this evening. (See related story on page 11)
Chataan continued to bring large ocean swells, hazardous surf on exposed reefs and coastlines, increased winds, heavy showers and thunderstorms.
Rudolfo M. Pua, director of the Emergency Management Office, strongly advised residents, beachgoers and mariners to take precautionary measures.
Pua also called on the public to make the necessary preparations “before it’s too late.”
According to EMO and NWS, typhoon conditions are possible on Friday, and decreasing winds and showers are forecast for Saturday.
Continental Micronesia has advised customers set to travel from Guam on Friday morning to stay tuned to local radio and TV stations for announcements on possible flight changes as tropical storm Chataan approaches.
As of yesterday afternoon, Continental had no definite plan of changing any flight schedule, but was closely monitoring the movements of Chataan.
The storm was scheduled to make its point of closest approach to Guam at 7 p.m. on Friday.
As of 1 p.m. yesterday, the polychlorinated biphenyl treatment site in Tanapag halted its operation due to forecast of strong winds and rainshowers.
Frank Ono, on-island representative of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the treatment operations would resume as soon as the weather improves.
As of 3 p.m. yesterday, Chataan was centered west of Chuuk moving west at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. also trimmed tree leaves and branches to ensure they would not tamper with power poles and lines in the event that the typhoon hits the islands.
State of emergency
The FSM Public Information Office yesterday confirmed that more than 20 people were dead and over 30 were injured in Chuuk due to Chataan’s slow and destructive path through the FSM.
Chataanbegan in the southern part of Pohnpei on June 27, brewed as a depression of 30 to 45 miles per hour winds, moving 4 miles per hour.
The depression brought heavy rains and swells of over 10 feet, battering the low lying atolls of Nukuoro and Sapwuafik destroying most of the seawalls and numerous coastlines structures.
Initial assessment reports from the atolls indicated massive intrusion of sea water onto the land, extensive crop damage and some missing live-stocks. No fatalities were reported from the southern atolls.
The depression strengthened into a tropical storm as it headed toward Chuuk, gusting at over 50 mph, whipping the ocean into swells of over 15 ft.
On July 1, tropical storm Chataan reached Chuuk with damaging winds of over 65 mph that ripped through the lagoon with torrential rains that flooded most of the lagoon islands.
Heavy rainfalls and strong winds brought down and flooded several houses, snapped power lines and overflowed the islands’ drainage systems.
Chataan passed closest to Chuuk on July 2 with a deluge that prompted extensive landslides throughout the state. Most of the villages on Weno have reported fatalities and injuries from landslides. The municipalities of Dublon, Fefan, Udot have also reported fatalities caused by landslides.
