[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 27, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H22-H23]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              TYPHOON PAKA

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express on behalf of the 
people of Guam our heartfelt sympathies to all our fellow Americans who 
are victims of winter storms and who are still without electricity to 
keep themselves warm.
  Mr. Speaker, as the Nation's attention focuses on the plight of our 
friends and neighbors in the northeast, we in Guam are quietly 
recovering from the devastation of a massive tropical cyclone, Typhoon 
Paka, which struck Guam on December 16th. Paka destroyed or severely 
damaged 8,000 homes, injuring more than 200 people and leaving more 
than 3,000 families homeless. Of the homeless, more than 1,000 required 
temporary housing immediately.
  The typhoon made a shambles out of hundreds of public and private 
buildings and facilities, schools, churches, stores, businesses and 
parks. The island was stripped of foliage, and thousands of trees as 
well as even concrete power poles were mowed down. Typhoon Paka 
pummeled Guam for 12 hours, causing an estimated $256 million in 
damages.
  Christmas in Guam was not as bright as usual, but the people of Guam 
celebrated a joyous and grateful holiday

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anyway. They had a Christmas miracle of a sort: Not a single human life 
was lost; and, in fact, nine new lives came into the world on the night 
of the storm.
  Typhoon Paka was an extraordinary storm. A super typhoon with a 
double eye wall packing maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour 
and gusts of 195 miles per hour. One gust was clocked by the Air Force 
at 236 miles per hour, making it the strongest ever recorded. While 
experts continue to debate the accuracy of this reading, only wind 
speed captured national media attention, and then only briefly.
  To have survived this enormous disaster with no loss of life is a 
testament to the resilience and vitality of the people of Guam, and I 
am proud to tell of the courage and strength and endurance of my 
people.
  Immediately after the typhoon, residents from every corner of the 
island had stories to tell about the care and concern, the support and 
help that the more fortunate shared generously. Residents with 
generators ran extension cords to neighbors without power.
  Caring people, like Carl Sgambelluri, knew that his old friend, Juan 
Cepeda, a disabled vet, would need help. Without being asked, Mr. 
Sgambelluri brought Mr. Cepeda a 1,000-gallon water trailer and a 
generator. He then got the generator going and left to help others.
  Mr. Sgambelluri, the Fernandez and Poppe brothers, young George 
Quinata, Wally Hollis, Paul Cepeda, and bus drivers John Angoco and Joe 
Castro, who helped the Agana Heights Mayor Paul McDonald rescue five 
families, are among the many, many people who helped others to cope 
with this devastating storm.
  Help also came with the Federal disaster declaration by the President 
the day after the storm. FEMA came and organized the Federal response 
team consisting of representatives of DOD, SBA, HUD, HHS, Labor, Corps 
of Engineers, Interior.
  To date, FEMA has provided over $8 million for debris removal, $12 
million in housing assistance, $51 million in individual and family 
grants, and over $7.5 million in SBA loans. The American Red Cross, 
Salvation Army and other volunteer service agencies have also worked 
hard to provide food and shelter, clothing and other household needs to 
the people of Guam.
  When the Guam Power Authority originally announced that it would take 
3 months to restore power, island-wide hearts sank. Yet now we are 6 
weeks into the recovery and with help from crews from the Northern 
Marianas, Palau, Yap, Ponphei, Hawaii, California, and even the Air 
Force, repairs are more than 83 percent complete. This is phenomenal 
for those of us who endured a lack of electricity for months in 
previous typhoons.
  The government of Guam, under the leadership of Governor Carl 
Gutierrez, the mayors of Guam, the employees of GovGuam, were all 
tested in this latest typhoon and all passed with flying colors.
  As we begin to plan the long-term recovery efforts, I will be working 
closely with FEMA and my colleagues in Congress to identify hazard 
mitigation projects and other ways to prepare for future typhoons and 
natural disasters. I have met with FEMA Director Witt who is organizing 
a Federal task force on Typhoon Paka. The government of Guam will be 
working closely with the Federal task force to recommend mitigation 
efforts for the island.
  I want to applaud all the staff of FEMA who are involved in the 
Typhoon Paka relief efforts, especially Dale Peterson who is the 
Federal coordinating officer assigned to Guam, for their dedication and 
hard work on behalf of the people of Guam.
  Washington and Guam may be separated by 10,000 miles, but when 
disaster strikes, the public servants at FEMA and other Federal 
agencies come through with flying colors to help their fellow Americans 
in the Pacific.
  The story of Typhoon Paka may soon fade with the passage of time, but 
there are lessons that we can all benefit from. Perhaps this is what 
makes Guam so special. Because we live in ``Typhoon Alley,'' we have 
learned those lessons well; and we have often learned to take stock of 
things that are really important.

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