Guam escaped a direct hit, but not the damage. Super Typhoon Champi, upgraded to super typhoon status as it neared the US Pacific island, made its closest approach at about 4:26 am local time on Sunday, passing roughly ten miles (16 km) south of the village of Merizo.
The southern villages took the worst of it. Typhoon-force gusts and torrential rain lashed the area through the early hours, and photos from Talofofo showed a house with part of its roof ripped away. Officials kept the island at Condition of Readiness 1, the highest alert, urging residents to stay inside concrete buildings and away from windows, flooded roads and the shoreline, even if the wind seemed to ease. Typhoon and flash flood warnings remained in force, with winds forecast to weaken only gradually through the afternoon.
The power grid suffered most. Only around half of the island’s distribution circuits still carried current at nine in the morning, the local utility reported. Several substations went dark, among them those serving Talofofo, Umatac and Radio Barrigada. Military installations such as Andersen Air Force Base, the island’s main public hospital and most Tumon hotels were spared the blackout. Crews planned shifts of up to 16 hours once the wind dropped to safe levels.
Water supplies held up better. All 98 production wells were running, 72 of them on backup generators, though neighbourhoods such as Pago Bay and Latte Heights complained of weak taps or none at all. The Ugum surface water plant was taken offline after floodwater left the river too murky.
Help from Washington came fast. President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for Guam and the neighbouring Northern Mariana Islands around 9:30 am, allowing FEMA to coordinate federal relief and send equipment. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero thanked the president for reacting so swiftly, while her deputy Josh Tenorio promised to focus resources on the hardest-hit areas.
