FEMA-chartered planes to send relief to Guam from Hawaii

Days after Typhoon Mawar hit Guam, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending emergency supplies and representatives of nonprofit organizations to provide relief to the U.S. Pacific territory.

FEMA-chartered Pacific Air Cargo’s B474-400F will airlift supplies from FEMA’s Diamond Head facility to Guam, according to Paul Skellon, PAC’s director of communications.

The aircraft will depart today carrying large generators with ancillary cables and gas containers that are staged for emergencies in Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam, Skellon said. Another FEMA-chartered plane flew volunteers from members of the Hawaii chapter of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, including the American Red Cross and Catholic Charities Hawaii, to Guam on Friday.

According to Matthew Wells, regional director of communications at the Hawaii Red Cross, many mainland volunteers and staff members of the American Red Cross also stopped in Honolulu for a screening process that involves a debriefing of “cultural competency” and “serv­ice delivery” before heading to Guam.

Victor Leonardi, divisional director of emergency services and safety for The Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Islands division, said that once they land, they will evaluate which areas are most vulnerable and create their plans of assistance based on what is needed, such as providing financial assistance and cleaning flooded areas. According to Leonardi, the Salvation Army’s priority is providing food and water to anyone who needs it. The Salvation Army will also provide vouchers to victims of flooded homes who can shop in its Guam store free of charge.

“We’re there to provide hope and the essential services that people need right away,” Leo­nardi said. “Everybody’s stressed out.”

The Salvation Army store on Guam faced only minor damage; however, its more than 50 employees’ and volunteers’ homes have been severely damaged by wind, rain and flooding, Leo­nardi said.

“The team (on Guam) is overwhelmed. They have a lot of damage personally there, so it’s good to be able to go and support and help the community,” he said.

Leonardi is set to stay on Guam for at least three weeks. Some providing assistance will not leave the island at all. In this case, Wells is a virtually deployed volunteer who will work from Hawaii in providing logistical research to the team on Guam and updating any news coverage of the organization’s efforts.

Among the passengers headed to Guam is Manuel Duenas. Originally from Guam, Duenas is a lieutenant colonel in the Guam Army National Guard. He said he was participating in the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s weeklong Pacific Executive Leadership Program at the University of Hawaii campus in Hilo when Mawar hit the island.

“It was just timing,” Duenas said.

He said he will return to Guam as part of the National Guard’s response to support the recovery, leading the efforts to clear the roads of fallen debris and continuing his role as commander of a unit on Guam that consists of an engineering company and aviation attachment.

Duenas said his family is safe and their house has minimal damage, as they’ve developed a resilience in preparing for these types of typhoons. He said being able to assist Guam’s people in the wake of strong storms such as Mawar is part of the reason he joined the National Guard in the first place.

“I’m absolutely humbled that I get the opportunity to go back and help my island recover and help my family and friends,” Duenas said.