FEMA Supporting Typhoon Mawar Response

WASHINGTON -- President Biden granted emergency declarations today to both the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and Guam ahead of Typhoon Mawar. The declarations authorize FEMA to supplement territorial and local response efforts to help save lives, protect property, public health and safety. 

Typhoon Mawar is predicted to impact Guam as a potentially catastrophic Category 4 or 5 storm, with intense, damaging winds up to 160 mph and life-threatening storm surge across the island.

FEMA has more than 50 staff in Guam, with dozens more federal partners on the ground to support incident management, communications, debris removal, engineering, infrastructure, health and medical, environmental response, military support and more, if needed.

Residents should heed the warnings of local and territorial officials. Have a plan for safely sheltering during the storm, check your disaster supplies and ensure you have adequate food, water, medication and other items. When the storm hits, residents should take shelter in an interior room away from windows, putting as many walls as possible between yourself and the destructive winds.

• Typhoons bring high winds, flooding and storm surge. Residents should quickly heed safety warnings from local and territorial officials. Tune into local information sources and media for updates.
• Territorial and local authorities are leading whole community efforts, with FEMA coordinating federal support to help the people, government and communities on Guam in case resources, personnel and teams can assist with lifesaving and life-sustaining activities.
• If the immediate needs of survivors impacted by the storm supersede local and territorial resources, FEMA can also provide commodities like meals, water, blankets, cots, tents, tarps, baby supplies and more. 

FEMA's distribution center in Guam is also connected to a network of warehouses and logistics capabilities, with another large warehouse in Hawaii. Additional commodities and supplies stand ready, if needed and requested.

Additional preparedness information is available in Ready.gov or download the FEMA App where you can receive weather warnings for up to five different locations nationwide.