Typhoon Mawar of Guam
Tamuning, Guam
2024, Senior, Interactive & Multimedia
Project Description: Waking up one morning and as island residents of Guam, we were subjected to ferocious winds and periods of torrential downpour that knocked out electricity over the island. On the morning of May 23, 2023, following a night of fierce winds and lightning storms caused by Typhoon Mawar, we awoke to assess the damage. The typhoon knocked down many coconut and mango trees and caused widespread power outages across the U.S. Pacific territory. Schools were closed, the graduation ceremony was postponed, and many stores were without power or internet and accepting only cash. However, some ATMs were also down. Having suffered a terrible loss, we have come together to make the world aware of the force of nature and the effects it is still having on us. Our project aims to investigate the effects that climate change has on the people of Guam. The earth’s atmosphere will change over the next few decades, which will affect many areas of Guam life. Sea levels are rising, the air and ocean are getting warmer, and the ocean’s acidity is increasing. Guam’s coral reef ecosystems are predicted to be destroyed or severely damaged by these changes, which will also increase the flooding and typhoons causing damage, decrease the amount of freshwater available during the dry season, and increase the frequency of uncomfortable high air temperatures. This project explores questions such as: How is Guam being impacted by climate change? What damages did Typhoon Mawar of 2023 cause to Guam in aspects of people’s life?
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Waking up one morning and as island residents of Guam, we were subjected to ferocious winds and periods of torrential downpour that knocked out electricity over the island. On the morning of May 23, 2023, following a night of fierce winds and lightning storms caused by Typhoon Mawar, we awoke to assess the damage. The typhoon knocked down many coconut and mango trees and caused widespread power outages across the U.S. Pacific territory. Schools were closed, the graduation ceremony was postponed, and many stores were without power or internet and accepting only cash. However, some ATMs were also down. Having suffered a terrible loss, we have come together to make the world aware of the force of nature and the effects it is still having on us. Our project aims to investigate the effects that climate change has on the people of Guam. The earth's atmosphere will change over the next few decades, which will affect many areas of Guam life. Sea levels are rising, the air and ocean are getting warmer, and the ocean's acidity is increasing. Guam's coral reef ecosystems are predicted to be destroyed or severely damaged by these changes, which will also increase the flooding and typhoons causing damage, decrease the amount of freshwater available during the dry season, and increase the frequency of uncomfortable high air temperatures. This project explores questions such as: How is Guam being impacted by climate change? What damages did Typhoon Mawar of 2023 cause to Guam in aspects of people’s life? We investigated more on the detailed information on: Climate Change and Coral Loss, Tropical Storms, Rising Sea Level and Coastal Flooding, Rainfall and Water Supplies, Ocean Pollution Levels, Inland Plants and Animals, and Human Health of Guam. The project was conducted by high school students mainly from Guam, California, Massachusetts, and South Korea. We published research paper on international journal, published a magazine on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSB9RQW6), created two Typhoon Awareness App Games, wrote & illustrated a picture book, conducted three governmental agencies and published a student-run newspaper (www.valleynews.press).