HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and the Sea Grant team took proactive measures Monday to interact with the community in preparation for Typhoon Bolaven, according to UOG Sea Grant’s website.
The program successfully achieved its objective by deploying resources to two strategically chosen locations. One of the key initiatives involved distributing a specialized manual, titled the “Mariana Islands Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards,” to customers who had taken part in last-minute shopping for essential items at Pay-Less Market in Maite and the Benson Guam hardware store.
“As people prepare for the incoming storm, we want to make sure that the community has the proper information to safely secure their homes and offices, and their families,” Kyle Mandapat, UOG CIS and Sea Grant associate director for communications and community engagement, said last week.
According to Phil Cruz, UOG CIS and Sea Grant sustainability coordinator, they distributed 287 handbooks.
Cruz said the manual includes a comprehensive family checklist encompassing vital emergency information, a checklist outlining the necessary supplies needed during the typhoon, and a checklist of what to do afterward. He also noted the resource provides guidance on the appropriate measures to take while dealing with injuries resulting from storms, and it provides references pertaining to various other forms of disasters, like earthquakes and tsunamis.
The production of the guidebook is a product of collaborative efforts between the UOG Sea Grant program and other partners, including the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, UOG’s Cooperative Extension and Outreach division, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ Coastal Resource Management division.
Mandapat told The Guam Daily Post that the program received positive feedback from the community.
“The feedback from the community has been really, really great,” he said. “I think with (Bolaven) most especially a lot of folks were trying to make sure that they prepared properly after learning some lessons maybe from Typhoon Mawar. So we were able to get this out and help a lot of people prepare at Benson in terms of what they needed to buy in order to get themselves ready for the storm, and people were appreciative. And at … Pay-Less, they were really appreciative as well. I think Mawar definitely taught us a lot about the importance of preparation. And so a lot of people really took it seriously this time around, and that’s a good thing. Any way that we could help, you know, would be something that we’re definitely planning to do. In terms of the reaction themselves on receiving the book, they were really happy and really happy that it was free.”
Individuals interested in obtaining a copy of the handbook may do so by visiting the UOG Sea Grant’s office, located at 303 Dean Circle House 25 on the University of Guam campus. Copies are available while supplies last.
Mandapat added the manual is also available online at uog.edu/seagrant.
Before Typhoon Bolaven blew through the Marianas Oct. 10, 2023, the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant team reached out to the community Oct. 9, 2023, to provide crucial information about natural disasters through the “Mariana Islands Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards.” Photo courtesy of UOG Sea Grant
