Guam Emergency: UMCOR's Response

Supertyphoon Pongsona

On December 8, 2002, Supertyphoon Pongsona struck Guam the Mariana Islands. The disaster left this major Pacific hub without electricity, and water, transportation. A fuel fire burned for five days, limiting the amount of fuel available for the generators, which are the only source of power. One phenomena of this storm was that thousands of windows that were shuttered against the storm shattered. Car windows also shattered, sending glass shards onto second story balconies. The donations were used for provide humanitarian aid and longterm recovery efforts. The early emergency response was to purchase formula and diapers for the more than 400 infants who were homeless in temporary shelters and fuel for the generators, as it became available.

Please pray for the persons on Guam and the Mariana Islands contribute to UMCOR's "Guam Emergency, Advance #901190." One hundred percent of each gift will be used for this response. The generous giving of United Methodists to the One Great Hour of Sharing supplements the cost of Advance gifts. Give through a local United Methodist church or send financial contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation.

Photo: With no reindeer in Guam, Santa's sleigh is pulled by a water buffalo through the streets of Agana at a Christmas party for children. When this photo was taken, the island had recently suffered devastation by Supertyphoon Paka. Credit: FEMA News Photo, December 25, 1997

Maps and Facts

• Guam: GBGM Country Profile

Onsite and Partner News

• Thousands Still Living in Tents in Guam, Disaster News Network, March 5, 2003.
• UMCOR Hotline, January 24, 2003.
• Relief Pours into Guam After Supertyphoon, Disaster News Network, December 16, 2002.
  Guam residents are still trying to salvage their belongings -- and a larger sense of normalcy -- after Supertyphoon Pongsona struck Dec. 8.
• UMCOR Hotline, December 13, 2002.
• Guam Assesses Damage after Supertyphoon, Disaster News Network, December 10, 2002.
  President Bush declared Guam a federal disaster area Sunday. Faith-based groups such as Church World Service and the United Methodist Committee on Relief were participating in damage assessments and determining a long-term response.
• Supertyphoon Blasts U.S. Pacific Islands, Disaster News Network, December 9, 2002.
  Emergency officials in Guam and Rota spent Monday helping local residents and assessing damages caused by Supertyphoon Pongsona, reported to be one of the strongest storms to ever hit the U.S. territorial islands.
• Typhoon Chata'an, July 2002.
• UMCOR Hotline, August 2, 2002.
• UMCOR Hotline, July 19, 2002.
• Millions stranded in Bangladesh, Philippines, Disaster News Network, July 15, 2002.
• Typhoon Chata'an Batters Japan, AlertNet, July 10, 2002.
• Typhoon Paka, December 1997
• Pacific Victims Suffer Damage from Three Typhoons, UMNS, January 20, 1998.
• Guam Suffers Slow Recovery from Typhoon Paka, UMNS, January 13, 1998.
• UMCOR Stymied by Typhoon Paka's Devastation in Guam, UMNS, December 22, 1997.

Offsite News

• Guam: Relief Web
  ReliefWeb is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). When a disaster strikes, it features news from UMCOR and other relief agencies.