During the wet and windy passage of Super Typhoon Hagibis through the Marianas, dozens of island residents spent the night in shelters throughout the island.
In preparation for the potential impact that Super Typhoon Hagibis would have on the island, the Guam Department of Education identified three campuses — Machananao, Carbullido Elementary, and Inarajan Middle School — to act as emergency shelters for residents around the island.
According to Janela Carrera, the governor’s director of communications, the northern shelter was the busiest out of the three facilities.
“Total, at its peak, there were about 145. The population for all three shelters. Most of them were up north at Machananao Elementary School – about 114. There were about 20 or so in Carbullido and a handful in the south,” Carrera said.
As of 9 o’clock this morning, Carrera said the total number of those in the shelters decreased to 101 for all three facilities.
She adds that four expectant mothers were admitted to the Guam Memorial Hospital and were sent home once screened by their physicians.
According to Krystal Paco, the governor’s press secretary, the governor along with her staff conducted a survey of the effects of the storm system on the island which included visiting the active shelters earlier this morning.
“It was great to see that we opened our shelters and the people that needed it went and utilized them. GDOE staff were working throughout the night and Machanaonao Elementary School was our most populated shelter last night,” Paco said.
These shelters were opened at 7 p.m. last night and were active until the announcement that weather conditions were safe enough for Guam to enter Condition of Readiness Level 4 at 10 a.m. this morning. After this, the shelter inhabitants left through either their personal or provided vehicles.
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