Guam Prepares for Strongest in Recent String of Typhoons

Residents repeated the familiar task of preparing for a typhoon today, facing the most powerful of six storms that have hit or threatened the U.S. territory in the past three months.

Super Typhoon Gay, packing wind gusts estimated at 195 m.p.h., was 385 miles east of Guam at 10 a.m. today (4 PST Saturday), moving west at 14 m.p.h.

It was expected to pass by midday Monday, according to the U.S. military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center here.

“The destructive winds will affect all the populated Mariana Islands,” said Air Force Capt. Dan Mundell, a duty officer at the center.

Guam’s population is 139,000.

Gay was forecast to weaken to sustained winds of 130 m.p.h. and gusts to 160 m.p.h. when it passes Guam, making it slightly stronger than Typhoon Omar, which caused $500 million in damage Aug. 28.

Navy ships based here were sent to sea and Air Force planes were flown to other bases to wait out the storm, a military spokesman said.

Emergency shelters in concrete buildings away from the shore were to open at noon today, he said.

The storm is the sixth since August. Omar was followed a week later by Typhoon Ryan, which veered away from the islands. Typhoon Brian on Oct. 21 passed over Guam, and the island was brushed by Typhoon Elsie on Nov. 3. Last Wednesday, Typhoon Hunt passed nearby.

While Gay was expected to weaken before hitting land, the 39,000 residents of Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands 180 miles north of Guam, were advised to start moving into shelters or other typhoon-proof structures before dark today, local disaster control officer Frank Chong said.

Water and other supplies were brought to the 11 government shelters in Saipan, while other shelters were set up in schools on the islands of Rota and Tinian, Chong said.

Hurricanes are called typhoons west of the International Date Line.

Gay reached “super typhoon” status Thursday when its maximum sustained winds reached 150 m.p.h.