[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 19 (Tuesday, March 3, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E265-E266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SALUTING GUAM POWER AUTHORITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 3, 1998

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, It has been more than ten weeks since 
typhoon Paka struck Guam, causing nearly $400 million in damage and 
leaving more than 4,000 families homeless. The damage is still evident 
in some areas, but typhoon debris is steadily disappearing and the 
island is turning green again. For the most part, conditions are 
returning to normal, although life remains difficult for those who lost 
everything. But even for those enduring folks, things are improving day 
by day. Despite the many discomforts we continue to bear, we remain 
tremendously grateful that no lives were lost in this disaster. On 
February 16, we marked another reason for gratitude and appreciation. 
Just two months to the day of Paka's passing. Guam's electrical power 
system was fully restored.
  The speed of this particular recovery is unprecedented in the annals 
of Guam's typhoon-prone history. It is a testament to the determination 
and dedication of the staff and management of the Guam Power Authority 
and the dozens of line crews from off-island who rushed to Guam's aid.

[[Page E266]]

  As in previous typhoons, Guam Power Authority crews were positioned 
and ready to battle the elements in order to keep the island's power 
system up and running. But Typhoon Paka was not a typical storm. As 
winds grew in intensity, and conditions grew increasingly more 
dangerous, the GPA crews were forced to ride out the storm at their 
respective worksites until the all-clear signal. The task that faced 
them the next morning was gargantuan. Power lines were dangling in the 
streets, in parking lots and in people's yards all over the island. 
They were tangled in wreckage and lying in broken pieces across 
roadways and along roadsides. Hundreds of transformers and thousands of 
street lights were ripped from their perches and scattered everywhere. 
Many were smashed beyond repair. Throughout the island wooden and 
concrete power poles broken, bent, tipped and even uprooted.
  After assessing the damage, GPA announced that it would take at least 
three months or longer to restore service islandwide. The lengthy 
repair time was disheartening but not unreasonable given the immensity 
of the task. With Christmas around the corner, the sadness and 
disappointment in the faces of the people of Guam must have inspired 
the men and women of the Guam Power Authority to rise to the challenge. 
Instead of three months, GPA set an ambitious new goal of eight weeks.
  With help from as far away as Hawaii and California, and from as 
close as the Northern Marianas, Palau and the Federated States of 
Micronesia, the Guam Power Authority worked long and hard to make 
Guam's holiday season as bright with light as possible. The Air Force 
also came to Guam's rescue with military line crews, heavy equipment 
and supplies, as well as providing nine C-5 flights to transport these 
and other personnel and materials to Guam. Our neighbors in the region 
also sent barges loaded with wooden and concrete poles, as well as 
transformers, electrical wire and other electrical supplies. All in 
all, 95 line personnel, 34 bucket trucks and 63 auxiliary line vehicles 
were brought in to augment GPA's equipment and 200 line personnel and 
100 contractor crews. Priority was given to Guam's pumps and water 
wells, and running water was restored within days of the storm's 
passing. In the days that followed, GPA replaced nearly 700 
transformers, nearly 100 concrete poles and some 800 wooden poles. 
Crews also restrung hundreds of miles of primary and secondary 
electrical lines. At this time, GPA is concentrating on replacing 
nearly 3,000 street lights island wide and reconnecting residential 
power as homes are repaired.
  In the ten weeks since the storm, the line crews have been most 
visible to the public. They and their heavy equipment have been seen 
all over the island, working around the clock to restore the system. 
GPA General Manager Ricardo Unpingco also did a commendable job of 
keeping the public informed, delivering daily progress reports and 
fielding questions from the public via the news media. But Mr. Unpingco 
and the line crews were not alone in this massive and ambitious 
endeavor. Behind the scenes, many other employees of GPA worked just as 
long, just as hard, often attending to tasks that were not in their job 
descriptions, to support the restoration work. Lastly, the biggest, 
most understanding and most loyal supporters of GPA's restoration work 
have been the families--the wives, husbands, sons, daughters and loved 
ones of GPA employees, many of whom were also typhoon damage victims.
  I rise today on behalf of the people of Guam to commend and to thank 
all the men and women of the Guam Power Authority, the personnel from 
the Saipan Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, Belau Public Utilities, 
Yap State Public Services Corporation, Pohnpei Utilities Commission, 
Hawaiian Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and the United 
States Air Force, and especially the families of all these fine people, 
for all the efforts and sacrifices they made to restore electrical 
power to Guam. Si Yu'os ma'ase hamyu todos; si Yu'os en fanbendisi.

                          ____________________