Supertyphoon Devastates Guam's Paddling Community
Guam was devastated by supertyphoon Pongsana on December 8. Most of the island will be without power and water through Christmas (and much longer). Many of our paddlers and their families lost homes and possessions. I am thankful to report that we did not lose any lives though!
We are currently digging out and assessing damage. My club, Outrigger Guam CC, lost two of our three boats, including our year-old Mirage. The Mirage was shattered into pieces, none longer than 4 feet, and scattered 400 yards from where stored. The other boat, a Force 5, disappeared entirely. Pieces of iakos and amas can be seen in the debris scattered along the road near the boat basin.
Many other boats were likewise destroyed by the 180mph (110 kph) winds and large storm surge from the 25ft (7 m) waves. We did move the boats to safe storage, but Pongsana was one of the worst typhoons to ever hit Guam. Little could have been done to prevent the damage.
Some of you may know the Guam teams from our appearances at races in Hawaii, Hamilton and the Liberty Cup. Teams such as Poksai, Flyers, Guahan, Haggan, Man Hita, Just Old Guys (to name a few) make up a hard-core community that loves to travel. We are lucky to be able to paddle year-round in warm Micronesian waters. Our community will have to work hard to recover from this, but we WILL recover.
Any and all support, moral and otherwise, is welcome at this time. Our club is a non-profit organization so donations towards boat replacement would be welcome (and U.S. tax deductible, PO Box 4930, Hagatna GU 96932, USA). Or, please donate to the Red Cross (attention: Guam relief).
Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Shriner
President,
Outrigger Guam Canoe Club
Posted by sshriner1 on Mon, 12/23/2002 - 3:10am