The island of Guam is preparing for the worst. This territory of the United States in the Pacific awaits the arrival this Wednesday of supertyphoon Mawar, which could cause potentially fatal coastal submersion phenomena, according to the American National Weather Service, already leading to the evacuation of the most exposed populations.
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, Mawar was some 110 km off the coast, according to the latest weather report, with winds reaching nearly 225 km/h. The typhoon “should pass just south of or over Guam”, warned the American weather forecast, which evokes a “triple threat” for this “super typhoon”, between violent winds, “torrential rains”, and “potentially coastal submersion”. lethal” for Guam and Rota, another American island in the Mariana Islands archipelago.
Winds of at least 140 km/h expected
Faced with these risks of coastal submersion, the authorities of Guam ordered the evacuation of the population on the seafront of this island of nearly 170,000 inhabitants and asked everyone to “take shelter immediately” upstream of the destructive winds of 140 km/h or more which are expected as early as this Wednesday morning.
“I worry about the safety of our people. This is the strongest storm in 20 years,” Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said. The official called on residents to “take shelter immediately”.
Already, US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Guam on Tuesday so that federal aid can be provided to the island, according to a statement from the White House. Nearly 22,000 American soldiers and their families are based on this island which sees the passage of long-range bombers and American nuclear attack submarines. About 60 flights departing from or arriving in Guam and scheduled between Tuesday and Thursday have been canceled, AB Won Pat International Airport also said.