USTRANSCOM planning disaster relief from typhoon
Friday, Typhoon Chata’an hit Guam with winds exceeding 90 mph after passing through the Federated States of Micronesia where 37 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bob Costello, an action officer at USTRANSCOM for the Pacific region, said he anticipates movement of supplies within the next 72 hours.
Weather in the area is making relief efforts difficult. Typhoon Chata’an is just one in a series of severe storms threatening the Pacific. As planning continues, Tropical Storm Halong is expected to intensify to typhoon strength before reaching Guam.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has requested Department of Defense help in the relief efforts. Costello is coordinating with officers from the U.S. Pacific Command to move relief supplies from Hawaii to Andersen Air Base in Guam, and then to Chuuk, one of four island states belonging to the Federated States of Micronesia.
Chata’an dumped heavy rains on Chuuk, about 1,000 kilometers southeast of Guam last Tuesday. Lynn Narruhn, a spokesperson for the Micronesian government said most of those who died on Chuuk were buried in about 30 different landslides that covered almost 1,000 homes.
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