HAGÅTÑA — Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero has formally requested that President Donald J. Trump declare a pre-landfall Emergency Disaster Declaration for Guam ahead of Typhoon Sinlaku, citing an anticipated response that will exceed the island government’s capability and warning of an “imminent catastrophe.”
The request, submitted Saturday through FEMA Region IX Administrator Robert Fenton Jr., invokes Section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Leon Guerrero said federal assistance will be necessary to save lives and protect property, public health and safety.
The letter specifically requests Public Assistance emergency protective measures limited to Direct Federal Assistance, including Department of Defense strategic airlift, mass care and sheltering commodities, and generators. Leon Guerrero noted Guam’s particular vulnerability given its distance from the continental United States.
The request traces Sinlaku’s development from Invest 90W near Pohnpei on April 7 through its designation as Tropical Depression 04W on April 9, its upgrade to Tropical Storm Sinlaku on April 10, and the issuance of a typhoon watch at 11 a.m. Saturday. NWS and JTWC project the storm will track very near or over Guam on Tuesday, April 14, as a Category 3 or 4 typhoon with sustained winds close to 130 mph near the center.
Leon Guerrero declared a local state of emergency for Guam on April 10 as a prerequisite to the federal request.
Homeland Security Advisor and Acting Civil Defense Administrator Esther Aguisui has been designated as the Guam Coordinating Officer. Chief of Staff Jon Jr. Calvo has been named the Governor’s Authorized Representative.
