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As Hurricane Mawar thrashes Guam with 140-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain, two folks on the island share eyewitness accounts of what they’re seeing.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
First, we flip to the island of Guam the place Hurricane Mawar has been thundering by means of bringing heavy rain and winds of 140 mph.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Mawar is the strongest hurricane to hit Guam in many years, and it has knocked out energy extensively. The Guam Energy Authority stated in its newest Fb replace that solely 2% of its 52,000 clients had electrical energy.
SUMMERS: Because the storm bore down on the island, we requested a couple of folks to ship us voice memos, together with Amanda Shelton.
AMANDA SHELTON: Hafa adai – that is hiya from the island of Guam.
SUMMERS: Shelton is a neighborhood senator for the territory, and he or she spoke to us from a member of the family’s residence within the northern a part of the island on greater floor than the place she usually lives close to the coast.
SHELTON: And as we glance out, the bushes are actually beginning to shake. The wind is selecting up. There are a whole lot of leaves and particles flying round proper now, however we really feel fairly secure inside.
SUMMERS: She says emergency crews are standing by.
SHELTON: So we do have people right here on the bottom prepared to reply as quickly as they’re wanted, as quickly as it’s secure for us to exit.
SHAPIRO: In one other a part of the island referred to as Tumon Bay, 33-year-old Lauren Swaddell was additionally sending us messages with the wind hissing by means of her resort home windows.
(SOUNDBITE OF WIND HISSING)
LAUREN SWADDELL: I am in my resort room on the Westin. It isn’t even the worst of the storm but.
(SOUNDBITE OF WIND HISSING)
SHAPIRO: She lives in D.C. now however grew up in Guam and was again visiting for work. She’d gone to see her household, too, and helped her mother board up her home earlier than taking shelter again on the resort.
(SOUNDBITE OF WIND HISSING)
SWADDELL: I am looking of my window, and I simply see huge waves in what’s usually a brilliant calm bay. Timber are dropping their branches. The coconut bushes are flying in all places.
(SOUNDBITE OF WIND HISSING)
SWADDELL: And my canine, who I’ve with me in my resort room, is so scared and confused. He is by no means skilled something like this earlier than.
SUMMERS: Swaddell has, although. She says it is the fourth main hurricane she’s skilled. As she was speaking to us, an enormous gust of wind hit the resort.
(SOUNDBITE OF WIND BLOWING)
SWADDELL: Wow. This wind is simply so intense. It received a lot stronger previously, like, 10 seconds. I simply noticed some, like, large tarp or one thing fly off a constructing.
SHAPIRO: Quickly the resort requested Swaddell and all the opposite visitors to maneuver into one of many primary ballrooms for security.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)
SWADDELL: We’re being requested to enter this room as a result of the home windows in the remainder of the resort aren’t doing so effectively. They’re shaking. Among the home windows are leaking water. So we’re all transferring into this ballroom the place the home windows are shuttered and strengthened.
SHAPIRO: After which the music began.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing, inaudible).
SWADDELL: And that is the sound of us simply making the perfect of it.
SUMMERS: It will get somewhat too loud for Swaddell to maintain sending us voice memos. However she stated the resort turned one of many ballrooms into somewhat theater, enjoying Disney motion pictures for youths.
SWADDELL: …, assembly one another for the primary time and sharing tales. And that is type of what I like about typhoons. It actually simply brings folks collectively in a approach. There’s the stress of it, but additionally there’s the sense that we’re all on this collectively. And, , there’s nothing you may actually do in addition to journey it out.
SHAPIRO: The hurricane is now slowly crawling throughout the Pacific away from Guam. However the Nationwide Climate Service nonetheless has a hurricane warning in impact.
SUMMERS: And as morning breaks on the island, residents and officers will begin to get a clearer view of the harm from Hurricane Mawar.
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