By Jayvee Vallejera
The Typhoon Mawar Disaster Relief Center program, which connects disaster-stricken Guam residents to services, will shut down at the end of May, two years after the super typhoon tore through the island and left trails of destruction.
While most affected families have since recovered, many are still trying to rebuild and fix their homes, which were wrecked by the storm that passed north of Guam and Rota as a Category 4-equivalent typhoon on May 24, 2023.
As the clock ticks, the Office of Homelessness Assistance and Poverty Prevention is cramming to get as many residents as it can into the program before it expires.
“We're trying to capture all the remaining cases that may be out there for those with unmet needs,” said Rob San Agustin, the agency’s director.
Guam Del. James Moylan announced this week that the territory will receive $500 million in federal assistance for Typhoon Mawar recovery.
The fresh funds will come from the Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery allocation for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, authorized under the newly signed Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025.
Of the total amount appropriated for Guam, $435.5 million is earmarked for “unmet needs” and $65.325 million for mitigation supplements.
Mawar was the strongest storm to hit Guam since since Typhoon Pongsona in 2002.
The government advised those who still have “unmet needs” to contact the center.
“If you have things like…documents that were destroyed during the typhoon, everything that's resulting from the typhoon, you know…some kind of property damage,” San Agustin said.
Besides helping out with unmet needs, the disaster relief center can also help resolve improper ownership/rental agreements, the inability to rebuild a safe structure, inability to clean and eliminate health dangers, and the affordability of repair and new construction.
San Agustin clarified that the program is not intended to dole out cash assistance or give away money.
Instead, the Typhoon Mawar Disaster Relief Center program will try to create a recovery plan for those who seek the center’s help and connect them to the services they need.
“With the time remaining—which is the end of May—we're trying to capture all the cases by [the] end of March and then work on those cases through the completion of the program. So feel free to contact us or come visit us also at the second floor of ITC building,” San Agustin said.
As for cash assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has already provided over $338 million in federal assistance to Guam, including individual and public assistance grants, and low-interest disaster loans.
Guam residents who still need assistance related to Typhoon Mawar and have unmet needs, may call (671) 475-2060 or email MawarDRC@guam.gov.
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