Guam Recognized as “StormReady” and “TsunamiReady” Community

The Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Guam, recognized the hard work that the community of Guam, personnel within the Government of Guam, its agencies, and its partners have invested to meet the high standards of the StormReady and TsunamiReady Programs.

NWS, Guam presented the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) a Certificate of Recognition of the U.S. Territory of Guam as a StormReady and TsunamiReady Community in a ceremony held at the GHS/OCD facility this morning.

As with the initial recognition in June 2006 and the follow-on recognition in June 2012, Guam was recognized again for the unique challenges the whole community had to overcome to implement the programs necessary to meet and maintain the high program standards. In 2006, Guam was the first U.S. Territory to be recognized as a StormReady Site, and first community recognized west of the International Date Line.

Guam joins 2,697 StormReady and/or TsunamiReady Sites in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Pacific Islands, and was recognized for its continual significant improvements, such as the All-Hazards Alert Warning System, the purchase of NOAA Weather Radios, sophisticated modeling for tsunami effects on Apra Harbor, and the completed Guam Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and the Catastrophic Typhoon Plan. The recognition signifies that Guam continues to be highly prepared to respond to the multitude of natural hazards including typhoons, tsunamis, flash floods, and earthquakes that can impact the island.

In a letter addressed to George Charfauros, Homeland Security Advisor, from NWS Meteorologist-in-Charge Genevieve Miller, she stated, “Guam’s citizens can truly be proud of the accomplishments of their elected officials, their staffs, the cadre of first responders, and the multitude of other Island participants.”

Charles “Chip” Guard, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist, who has been instrumental in the partnership between emergency management and the National Weather Service, mentioned during the ceremony that this is “Guam’s program” that can be attributed to the entire island’s efforts to be StormReady and TsunamiReady.

“I thank the Department of Commerce, NOAA, and NWS for recognizing our hard work and efforts. I’d also like to thank all of our emergency management partners; the Government of Guam, to include our Mayors council and our federal and military partners. I thank the community for all their preparedness efforts in being StormReady and TsunamiReady. This was truly a team effort that contributed to this recognition. I’d like to thank my team at GHS/OCD for their hard work and efforts in making sure the island is prepared for all-hazards and threats. Lastly, thank you to Governor Calvo and his administration for providing the leadership and the guidance,” stated George Charfauros, Homeland Security Advisor. “This does not mean we should let our guard down. We should always be prepared. We look forward to maintaining the move in this direction to receive the recognition again in 2024,” Charfauros concluded.

To learn more about StormReady and TsunamiReady Communities, visit https://www.weather.gov/StormReady and https://www.weather.gov/TsunamiReady/communities.

For more information, contact GHS/OCD Public Information Officer Jenna G. Blas at (671) 478-0208 or via email at jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

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Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.