JIC Recovery Release No. 17 - DPW Update; GWA Update: TeleCom Update

DPW Update:

The Department of Public Works (DPW) Highway Maintenance Construction Section (MCS) has been working pre-typhoon ensuring the roadways remain accessible for emergency responders and essential government workers. Work was focused at the following sites pre-storm, that have been prone to flooding and heavy vegetation foliage:

• Polaris Outfall Southbound, Piti

• Finile Drive, Hågat

• RR Cruz Subdivison, Hågat

• Barcinas Manel Channel and Culverts, Malesso’

• Patpuguan Bridge, Malesso’

• Routed Roads (1, 4, 2, 10, 16, 15, 3, 9) – Island-wide

• Storm Drainage Grills – Island-wide

• Line Ditch Swells Along Rt. 11

• Rt. 16, Maina Line Ditch 

Upon the passage of Typhoon Mawar and at first daylight, crews from DPW’S MCS continued efforts in clearance of debris on major roadways which allowed the quick response from the Government of Guam and counterparts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct damage assessments. The following sites were: 

• Rt. 4, Malesso’ 

• Rt. 4, Chalan Pago

• Pago Bay, Rt. 4

• Rt. 4, Yona

• Rt. 4, Ipan Talo’fo’fo

• Rt. 4A, Talo’fo’fo

• Layon Landfill, Inalåhan

• Rt. 2, Hågat

• Rt. 2A, Hågat-Humåtac

• Rt. 17, Santa Rita-Sumai

• Portions of Rt. 5 and 17m, Santa Rita-Sumai

• Rt. 1 – Upper Tumon

• Rt. 1 – East and West Hagåtna

• Daok Strip, Hagåtna

• Rt. 4, Sinajana to Ordot

• Rt. 15, from Mangilao to Perez Acres, Yigo

• Rt. 6, Maina

• Snake Road to Nav Hospital, Maina

• Rt. 15, Mangilao

• Rt. 8, Maite Plumeria Hotel

• Rt. 1 Dededo Micro Mall to Rt. 1 Yigo

• Rt. 15 from Carnation up to Upi Elementary School, Yigo

• Rt. 27, Macheche to Late Heights, Dededo and Mangilao

• Rt. 29, Gayinero to Rt. 3 and Rt. 9, Yigo

• Supported GWA - Access to 20+ Well sites island-wide.

As the island moves towards recovery, DPW crews continue to work removing debris throughout the island. 

GWA Update:

As of 10 a.m., the Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA) provided the following update on water restoration progress:

Northern Region: 

• Currently 50% of operable wells are on-line

• Northern water system is operating normally

• More wells are being restored to island power as GPA continues to restore circuits

• GWA continues to operate all available wells to increase reservoir levels throughout the northern system

• Tumon and Tamuning have water, but low pressures persist causing outages in some areas until reservoir levels can be increased 

Central Region: 

• Connection to Navy-supplied sources at Santa Rita-Sumai and Nimitz Hill has been restored

• With the exception of Finile and Santa Ana areas, service was restored to Santa Rita-Sumai and Hågat

• Talo’fo’fo main village has been restored, with minor outages being reported as crews are assessing for any line breaks

• Service on Cross-island road area restored up to Our Lady of Peace

Southern Region: 

• Southern water system will operate at reduced capacity until damaged control equipment at the Ugum Surface Water Treatment Plant is resolved

• Water services were restored from Ipan to Inalåhan

• Main break repairs completed in Inalåhan

• Restoration of Malesso’ and Humåtak is ongoing

GWA has deployed nine (9) 6,000 gallon Flexible Potable Water Tanks in:

• Santa Teresita, Mangilao

• Mongmong-Toto-Maite Mayor’s Office

• Dededo Mayor’s Office

• St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Inalåhan

• Malesso’ Pier

• Hågat Mayor's Office

• Chalan Palauan, Dededo

• Sinifa, Santa Rita

• Mount Santa Rosa, Yigo

Additional tank deployments pending for other sites once additional containers and chassis are made available. Once the tanks are depleted, they will be refilled and returned to service at locations still without water. 

At this time, the water tanks listed above are accessible 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Once the tanks are depleted, they will be refilled and returned to service at locations still without water. Residents island-wide who have water service are advised to conserve and limit use for cleaning, bathing, and cooking in order to conserve water to allow reservoir levels to increase. 

As a precaution, water obtained from these designated locations must be boiled for at least three (3) minutes prior to consumption. A precautionary boil water notice remains in place due to possible bacterial contamination in the water that can occur when increased run-off enters a drinking water source following heavy rains. 

Boil Water Notice Tips:

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. 

• Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for three (3) minutes, and let it cool before using or use bottled water. 

• Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. 

• Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

For information, contact GWA’s 24/7 phone line at (671) 646-4211 or facebook.com/guamwaterworksauthority.

GTA Restoration Update:

GTA is actively working 24/7 on post-typhoon restoration. The core network is operational with stable off-island internet, but there are outages in wireless services in certain areas. Priority is given to larger sites serving residential and business customers. GTA is also prioritizing restoration to public safety and health facilities. However, the lack of island power and fuel shortages are causing some challenges for the restoration process. 

To support customers, GTA is waiving disconnection fees and freezing disconnections until further notice. 

Updated operating hours are Micronesia Mall (10AM-6PM) and GTA Support Center (7AM-7PM), while the GTA Experience Center and retail locations remain closed. For assistance, please contact the support center at 671-644-4482, visit www.gta.net, or email ask@gta.net.

Docomo Pacific Restoration Update:

Docomo Pacific has been working with its technology crews to make island-wide assessments in Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota since Typhoon Mawar.

For Guam customers, the majority of cell sites did not suffer major damage due to Typhoon Mawar. The primary issue at this time is getting island power restored to the sites. Docomo Pacific is working closely with Guam Power Authority to restore services. Generators have been deployed at strategic sites to maximize coverage, and to ensure a stable power supply for as many mobile sites as possible. 

The fiber network for southern villages supporting several mobile cell sites has sustained storm damage. This means that even if these sites were powered with a portable generator, there is no mobile service connectivity at this time. This is on the list of high priorities, along with restoration to public safety and health care facilities. No disconnections were announced until further notice, as well as no data caps for all mobile data customers and load-free prepaid service.

IT&E Restoration Update:

IT&E is working around the clock to restore services. Generators have been deployed to undamaged cell sites that can be accessed safely and that have connectivity to the network. Southern cell sites suffered significant damage from the typhoon. IT&E is unable to provide a timeline for restoration at this time, but is working to deploy a solution. 

All prepaid subscribers get unlimited service, regardless of prepaid plan. Data caps have been lifted for all postpaid subscribers and tethering is available for all postpaid subscribers, free of charge. Service suspension due to nonpayment is postponed until further notice. 

For the latest service updates, subscribers are encouraged to check IT&E’s official social media pages. Service-related issues can be reported by calling (671) 922-4483 or sending a direct message on official social media pages.

Visit the following links for the latest advisory information:

• GHS/OCD Website: https://ghs.guam.gov/

• GHS/OCD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GHSOCD/

• JRM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jrmguam 

For more information, contact the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10.