The U.S. Coast Guard resumes full operations in Guam following Typhoon Bolaven, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, with little damage to facilities in Santa Rita. (Greg Sickels/U.S. Coast Guard)
Typhoon Bolaven strengthened Wednesday after a close call with Guam the previous day, pulling away from the island but leaving its communities, roadways and military bases intact.
Guam was all clear at 10 a.m., the Governor’s Office said in a news release Wednesday. The island reverted to Condition of Readiness 4, Guam’s lowest typhoon preparatory status.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero found the island’s major thoroughfares were “clear of any major debris and accessible” on Wednesday morning, according to the release.
Military bases on the island also “fared well,” with no major damage reported and no impact on operations, according to Joint Region Marianas, which oversees the island’s military installations.
“From the region perspective, I am impressed by the collaborative partnerships between and among our civilian, federal and military communities,” joint region commander Rear Adm. Gregory Huffman told Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday. “Each real-world contingency challenges us to come together as a unified team to remain resolute in our efforts to recover quickly and to maintain our readiness posture.”
At Naval Base Guam, the “majority of services,” including the commissary and exchange, were open for business, base spokeswoman Theresa Cepeda said by email.
Andersen Air Force Base was wrapping up its assessments Wednesday morning, but the base was fully operational with the “majority, if not all” of its facilities and services at normal operating hours, base spokeswoman 1st Lt. Ariana Wilkinson said by email.
Marine Corps Camp Blaz, also making final post-storm surveys, had found no impact on its operations, base spokeswoman Maj. Diann Rosenfeld said by email.
The island’s Department of Defense Education Activity schools, which closed Wednesday due to storm cleanup, were expected to reopen Thursday.
Bolaven barreled toward Guam over the weekend as a tropical storm before strengthening Tuesday to a Category 1 typhoon with winds of as high as 80 mph. The storm pivoted at the last minute, narrowly missing landfall on the island, and passed between Rota and Tinian, about 75 miles northeast of Guam.
The near miss spared Guam significant damage, an auspicious turn of events for the island, which is still recovering from the devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Mawar in late May.
However, strong winds lashed the island and heavy rain prompted a flash flood warning until 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. Guam’s Joint Information Center estimated that up to 5.7 inches of rain had fallen as of Wednesday morning.
“We were fortunate that Typhoon Bolaven was not as strong as Typhoon Mawar, and it’s apparent the island weathered this storm system better than the last,” Rosenfeld said.
By Wednesday, Bolaven had intensified into a Category 5 super typhoon with 161 mph sustained winds and 196 mph gusts, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The storm posed no immediate threat to any major land mass.
