A Brief Update on Damage and RECOVERY at PIU

 This is the third post I've made since Typhoon Mawar clobbered Guam and, in particular, the campus of Pacific Islands University. 

Post 1

Post 2

A friend of mine, someone I worked with I was at PIU, recently posted about the University's efforts to recover. While the efforts so far are limited--understandably so--it is significant to see the move back in the right direction.

• The campus now has running water.
• Still no electricity on campus.
• The lines that provide an internet connection are still down. The damage to the lines and wifi components on campus have yet to be assessed.
• Phone service is spotty.
• A contractor has been on campus to assess structural damage and give a preliminary estimate on the cost of repairs.
• Cleaning up has been ongoing.
• Temporary fixes have begun. Some of the loose remnants of the Classroom 2 roof structure have been removed, small holes in the roof are being temporarily patched. 
• The plan is to provide temporary coverings at critical places to prevent further damage and allow drying to begin.

While these steps are limited, they are significant. All the work, thus far, has been done by volunteers, as I understand, primarily by University staff.

 Liebenzell Mission of the USA has set up a fund for bringing aid to PIU. I encourage you to visit https://www.liebenzellmission.org/give/piu/#typhoon. You will see instructions there as to how you can make a tax-deductable donation.

Here is a new picture (6/8). Pray that the plastic sheeting will stay in place until real repairs can be made. Pray for funding for those repairs.

This picture was taken when the job was in process. The rest of this section of the roof is now covered and the plastic smoothed out and weighted down. Pray that it lasts until real repairs can be made.

An Update on the Aftermath of Mawar: Guam, & PIU

May 31, I posted about the devastation Typhoon Mawar wrought on the Pacific Islands University Campus. See here.  

I am taking a moment of your time, today, to give you an update.

Some time ago a major storm system, a derecho, hit the little community where I live. The power grid was seriously impacted. I remember seeing utility vehicles and crews from Florida and other far away places, that had come to repair the infrastructure.

Guam is 4,000 miles from Hawaii and twice that distance from the mainland. Bureaucratic, as well as

economic and geographic hurdles have to be overcome to bring in help from off-island. In short, recovering from an event like Typhoon Mawar, stresses all available systems. It takes a while.

Even the site that gives information about Guam recovery efforts is "Coming Soon."

Here are some anecdotal reports: 

• June 1, "Still don't have power, water or cell service.I can drive around and get cell service but trying not to waste gas." (a friend)
• Today (keep in mind Guam is 14 hours ahead of EDST) the Pacific Daily News reported that "The Guam Power Authority utilities restoration passed the midway point as of 1 p.m. Monday, according to the latest update released by GPA."
• From further away the Wishington Post reported 3 days ago, "About half of the island remains without water, and about 65% is without power. It may be weeks until the utilities are fully restored."

The last I heard PIU is still part of the "doesn't have it yet," part of Guam.

I talked with PIU President, Iotaka Choram, a couple of days ago. He was at a car dealership using their signal. The school is trying to get some estimates on what repairs to the campus will cost. PIU is just one of many looking for such information. Through the kindness of a supporter of PIU, some of the staff has been able to set up an off-campus "office," where they have access to a cell signal and wifi. I'm expecting an update from that office, soon. I'll pass it on when I get it.

Perhaps one indication of the current situation is that GovGuam is currently running ads to hire "Debris Inspectors."

The bottom line is I don't know much more today than I did when I wrote the last post.

• I do know that the school is planning to continue offering "Acredited, Affordable, Accessible, Transformative, Christian" higher education to the people of Guam, Micronesia, and beyond. I don't have any information as to when the school plans to resume instruction.
• I am convinced that the need for this kind of education in Micronesia and the Micronesian Diaspora is great.
• I know that just about everyone associated with the school has a big job in front of them personally, as well as in regard to PIU. This picture of the roofless Classroom 2 is illustrative. Having begun to clean up, lets one see the damage more clearly. The corner hasn't been turned. It hasn't even been reached, yet.
• I know that not only is the school damaged physically. It is shut down fiscally. No classes means that the normal flow of income is cut off. 

I mentioned seeing trucks and crews from far away that came to my home area after a major disaster some years ago. In the case of Pacific Islands University, you and I are the help that needs to be on the way. Liebenzell Mission of the USA, a mission agency with a deep history of working with PIU, has set up a fund for bringing aid to this beleaguered, indeed clobbered school. I encourage you to visit https://www.liebenzellmission.org/give/piu/#typhoon. You will see instructions there as to how you can make a tax-deductable donation to help put the roof back on and students back in the classroom above.