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Date: January 13, 1998 
AGANA, Guam (UMNS) -- "I feel like they forgot us," said the front-page headline of the Pacific Daily News here. After a typhoon struck Guam Dec. 16, news coverage on the U.S. mainland dwindled after a few days. Since then, residents have suffered as the complicated recovery operation slowly progresses.
In January, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) dispatched a team to assess damage from "Paka," a super typhoon which slapped Guam with wind gusts of up to 230 miles per hour. Much of the island looks like a war zone. The power remains off in many sections and residents have been warned to continue boiling their tap water.
The Rev. Tim Mull, pastor of the only United Methodist church in Guam, noted that after the storm, "it looked like a giant weed-eater had been used to totally defoliate the island. Now the stubble of trees and bushes are sprouting new growth, gradually returning the resort area to a plush green."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates it will take more than $200 million to assist Guam governmental entities and residents with recovery. Some 3,000 houses were destroyed and about 31,000 houses sustained major damage.
FEMA supplied some 2,000 families with tents to live in their yards until repairs can be made to their dwellings.
The U.S. territory, with a population of about 150,000, is some 3,700 miles west-southwest of Hawaii. The people here say with pride that the early-morning sun first kisses the American flag over Guam before sliding across the Pacific to the U.S. mainland.
The Rev. Gordon Knuckey, chief of UMCOR's field operations, said the denomination is anxious to help in Guam, despite representing less than one percent of the population.
"The amount of assistance that will be provided by UMCOR in Guam will be directly dependent upon the generosity of United Methodists on the U.S. mainland," Knuckey added. "We could use a million dollars to help the people who will not be eligible for enough in federal grants to get back on their feet."
UMCOR aid is targeted for the elderly and disabled. Cash donations are needed, according to Knuckey, because Guam is too far for the transport of volunteer teams and donated goods.
Donations should be designated to UMCOR Advance #982515-0, "Hurricanes '97" and can be made through local churches or mailed to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. For more information, call 1-800-554-8583.
Source: United Methodist News Service.
*Blair is an UMCOR volunteer.