Guam – October 1-7, 2023

In May of 2023, Typhoon Mawyar produced 140 mile an hour winds and 28.42 inches of rain on the island of Guam. Candy and her husband Orin had their home severely damaged by this storm.  

FEMA is asking MDS to focus on getting a room or two in damaged homes ready for families to “shelter in place” until more extensive repairs can be made. The focus is on roofs, windows, doors, electric and plumbing.  

On October 1 a crew of 9 MDS volunteers began repairs to enable this family to move safely back into a portion of their home. The volunteers come from PA, CA, CO and NJ. Because of distance and travel expenses, our weekly volunteers become two week volunteers.  

They were welcomed by Long Term Volunteers Herb Hoover, Cody Hurst, Don and Em Yoder.  

Our camp is two suites with three bedrooms in each at the Alupang Beach Tower. A hot breakfast is served out of the small kitchen in one of the suites. Lunches are packed as usual. The evening meals are in local restaurants.  

The island is currently under a Typhon watch until mid-week. As a result, FEMA has cancelled all work until the watch is lifted. We hope to complete one more project before our current volunteers leave on Saturday afternoon and a new crew arrives on Sunday.  

Don Yoder 

Office Manager