<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Crews persist in battling blaze

By Dionesis Tamondong
© Pacific Daily News
11 December 2002
All rights reserved.

Local and federal officials and private fuel companies have combined efforts to fight a fire that has raged at the island's fuel supply facility.

A multiagency effort to extinguish a blaze at the commercial port's fuel tank farm continued for a second day yesterday. The jet fuel erupted Sunday during Supertyphoon Pongsona.

After a meeting with Mobil Oil Guam officials last night, Guam Fire Department Chief Felix Sablan said he thinks the fire may be extinguished by today.

The fire has aggravated many problems that always follow a typhoon -- from the mad dash for gasoline to the contamination of rainwater.

Long wait

The fear of a fuel shortage has caused residents to wait in line for hours at some gas stations, causing congestion at many of the island's intersections.

The typhoon tore up many gas stations so badly that they have not been able to open. Several stations closed yesterday and today after running out of fuel. Most stations have limited fuel purchases to $10 per vehicle.

In a press release issued by Mobil early yesterday, company officials said Mobil cannot obtain fuel from the storage facility until the fire is extinguished.

Once the terminal has been declared safe, Mobil will investigate the incident, including how the fire started, the release said.

The company said additional experts were being flown here to assist in the incident, the release said.

Thick smoke spreads

The Pacific Daily News received several calls yesterday from residents in southern villages stating the rainwater they have collected is black, adding more problems for people who already are coping with a lack of running water.

David Longa, Guam Environmental Protection Agency acting administrator, said people should be aware that soot will cling to water droplets.

"They need to be extra careful," Longa said during a meeting at the Office of Civil Defense yesterday.

Members of the Novato, Calif.-based Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team were scheduled to head to Guam Tuesday, California time, to aid search-and-rescue efforts and coordinate an environmental pollution response, according to The Associated Press. The Coast Guard also is sending a C-130 aircraft from its air station in Sacramento.

Walter Leon Guerrero, a Guam Environmental Protection Agency representative at Civil Defense, said GEPA officials have sent a letter to Mobil stating it needs to hire an environmental company to monitor the air situation.

Firefighting crews from the Guam Fire Department, Guam's airport, Andersen Air Force Base, the Navy and the Coast Guard have been fighting the blaze.

Last night, Sablan said they were preparing to use an Air Force P-15 truck used to fight plane-crash fires. With that 6,000-gallon truck combined with five water tankers currently in use, Sablan said, "we hope to blanket a mass application to the fire with foam and water, and hopefully we can extinguish the fire."

Firefighting crews have been battling the blaze, which has engulfed a fourth fuel tank, from two fronts.

Crews have been spraying water and foam on the raging fire as well as on the remaining tanks to keep them cool.

In addition to not having adequate water pressure, Sablan said, fire trucks and water tankers cannot get close enough to the fuel tanks because of the size and heat of the fire.

"Our trucks can't maneuver around the other side of the tanks where they need to be," he explained.

In addition to Mobil, Sablan said, officials from South Pacific Petroleum Corp., the company that owns and operates the 76-branded service stations, and Shell Guam Inc. were providing assistance in the firefighting effort.

The long wait for gasoline has also been an obstacle for hospital services, said Guam Memorial Hospital administrator David Shimizu.

"I am asking that any gas service providers out there willing to cart off one of their stations so that it would be designated to GMHA first medical responders to please contact me immediately," Shimizu said. </font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Fuel available for recovery effort only

By Steve Limtiaco
© Pacific Daily News
12 December 2002
All rights reserved.

The island's gas stations will not be selling any fuel to the general public until a fire at the commercial port's tank farm has been extinguished, officials announced yesterday.

Gas stations with working pumps will be providing gasoline only in support of the typhoon recovery effort, said Jeff Borja, president and country manager of Mobil Oil Guam.

Borja is part of the Unified Incident Command, which was created to manage the fire, as well as the fuel shortage it has caused.

The fire started at the Mobil tank facility during the typhoon Sunday. So far, two Mobil tanks caught fire and eventually burned themselves out -- a tank of gasoline and a tank of jet fuel.

A tank of diesel fuel continued to burn yesterday.

"Once the fire has been extinguished and the area is safe, access to the fuel which is stored at the terminal will once again be possible and supply to the service stations can resume," Borja said.

Until then, the existing fuel supply at the stations will be reserved for the typhoon recovery effort.

Maj. Gen. Benny Paulino, who is the government's representative on the task force, said fuel also might be supplied to help those with special medical needs and to non-governmental response groups such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Media organizations also might receive fuel, Paulino said, because of their role in distributing information to the public.

Paulino said a mass transit system also will be created for essential GovGuam workers and for some workers in the private sector, to reduce the amount of fuel used.

While Borja would not comment on how long it might take the fire to burn itself out, Guam Fire Department Chief Felix Sablan said oil officials have told him a full tank of fuel could take as long as four days to burn out.

And Department of Administration Director Clifford Guzman told the Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association that it could take three days for a tank to cool down after the fire has burned out.

Unified Command officials have met several times to discuss ways to bring gasoline to the island, possibly by boat, but those plans were not elaborated yesterday.

Despite the burned tanks, there still is enough gasoline stored at Cabras to meet consumer demand, said Phil Stalker, acting general manager for Shell Guam Inc.

He said Shell shares storage tanks with South Pacific Petroleum Corporation, near the burning Mobil tanks. SPPC operates the 76 brand service stations.

As of yesterday, SPPC's tanks were untouched, but they are near the Mobil fire, which makes it too dangerous to collect the fuel they store, Stalker said.

"Until the fire is extinguished, we can't get at that product," Stalker said.

Shell also has storage tanks about six miles away, in Agat, but those tanks store only jet and diesel fuel, Stalker said, noting that there are large quantities of those types of fuel available.

Borja said Mobil has other tanks in the Cabras area, some of which contain gasoline. Mobil officials yesterday did not provide details about the number of tanks at the site or what they contain.

Sablan said the Guam Fire Department was not equipped to deal with the fire at the tank farm, and said it needed equipment with a boom to give it a better angle to tackle the blaze.

Several strategies have been attempted to extinguish the fire, Sablan said, and the fire department currently is cooling nearby tanks as trucks from Andersen Air Force Base shoot foam on the burning diesel tank.

But that tactic has not been successful, Sablan said, because not all of the foam makes it into the burning tank, and it dissipates before landing.

Sablan said one solution being considered is using a concrete boom -- a crane with an attached hose that normally is used to pour concrete into walls -- to dump foam directly into the burning tank from above.

Sablan said nothing is being done by the fire department to protect the SPPC tanks, which he said already are adequately protected by water nozzles at the SPPC site.

"We are devoting our full resources to containing, controlling and extinguishing that fire," said Borja.

In addition to the Air Force, Navy and Guam Fire Department, Mobil has flown in specialists and firefighters from Singapore, Japan and Australia, Borja said.</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Restoration efforts coordinated

By Theresa Merto
© Pacific Daily News
12 December 2002
All rights reserved.

Water tankers could be flown to Guam to help the island's crippled water system and provide residents with the scarce resource.

The Guam Waterworks Authority has asked for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Bob Fenton, FEMA chief operations officer.

"We are looking for the quickest, most economical way to get (tankers) to the island," Fenton said after a briefing at the Office of Civil Defense yesterday. "We are trying to find some way to assist GovGuam."

As of yesterday, 47 of 110 GWA water wells were inoperable because of Sunday's Supertyphoon Pongsona, according to GWA acting General Manager Gil Shinohara. Assessments and repairs are under way, Shinohara said. Meanwhile, the island remains on a boil-water notice.

"All villages are affected," Shinohara said, adding there are water pressure problems throughout the island.

Fenton said Waterworks officials have asked for 10 tankers or bladders that could be placed around the island.

"Once we get information on where we can find it, how long it will take to fly it in -- if that is the way we go about it -- we will give that information to Guam Civil Defense and Gil and let them make a decision whether we want to move forward on that mission," Fenton said.

"It sounds to me that this will greatly affect his ability to get water out to many of the villages and put more water into the water system. We are trying to find an answer, and we are hoping to do that within the next 24 hours."

Currently, there are three GWA tankers and five Guam National Guard tankers from which residents may draw water.

Fenton also said between 200 and 300 FEMA and other federal officials were expected to arrive on island last night and help with damage assessments.

Generators for critical areas, including the hospital and shelters, also were expected to arrive, Fenton said.

Power

The Guam Power Authority has cleared lines in an effort to bring power back to the island's hospital but people who live around those areas may not benefit.

"People along the paths to the hospital should not be expecting to get power and the reason for that is the severity of the damage is a lot worse," said Eric Untalan, GPA's assistant general manager for administration. "We are trying to get a straight shot to the hospital. We need to power them up."

Restoring power to Guam Memorial Hospital remains the top priority, Untalan said.

"The transmission route from the Yigo combustion turbine, through Yigo, Dededo and Harmon, have been completed," Untalan said. He said crews continue to work on the Tamuning substation and on fallen utility poles in Tumon and Tamuning along the path to the hospital.

Power agency crews continue to assess power-related damage and that will take five to seven days, he said, adding the assessments and repair work began Monday.

"The assessments and repairs are concurrent. However, the traffic congestion ... has slowed down these efforts," Untalan said.

"Therefore, the Guam Power Authority is asking for the support of the community in allowing our repair vehicles passage on the roadways as they make their way to sites all across the island. Be mindful, for each hour our crews are delayed, it will take that much longer to complete the recovery work."

Don't cut lines

He said if residents do drive, they have to be cautious because of downed utility poles and dangling lines.

"When the poles come down, a lot of times the lines come down too, and residents should be aware that downed power lines should not be cut," Untalan said. "If lines are blocking thoroughfares, they should be moved aside or tied up. Cutting down lines will prolong the recovery efforts."

People have cut lines that were blocking roads and homes, Untalan said.

"And that's not good because if the line is hanging down low, our crew can get out there and string it up," Untalan said. "But if they cut it, they'll have to stop, splice and do other kinds of other stuff. Try to avoid cutting them at all costs."

Untalan said they expect additional crews and equipment from neighboring islands and the mainland to assist in recovery efforts.

"The damage from the storm is serious enough to warrant assistance from off island," Untalan said. Efforts are being coordinated by FEMA, Department of Defense and Department of Energy officials. Untalan said the Air Force also is providing equipment to the power agency for recovery efforts.

"The more help we get, the better. But we have to keep in mind, we have to do it efficiently and correctly," Untalan said.

Deaths

The six deaths that occurred during Pongsona all were from natural causes, according to Guam Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Suzanne Zahnen. Four people were dead on arrival at the hospital and the other two died later at the hospital, she said.

But Don Weakley, the hospital's acting associate director, earlier this week said one death was related to Pongsona. He said an elderly woman was cut badly during the peak of the storm and apparently went into cardiac arrest.

Weakley said no one could get an emergency crew to the woman's house, which was a short distance from the hospital. The family of the woman attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he said, but the woman was dead when she arrived at the hospital.

Port

The captain of the Port Authority of Guam established a restricted opening of the port because of potentially hazardous conditions there. A fire continues to rage at the jet fuel farm.

The port captain and Coast Guard Capt. Robert Lorigan wrote to agency heads, vessel masters and facility operators yesterday, of the decision yesterday.

"Vessels will be allowed to transit the Port of Guam during daylight hours only until further notified by the captain of the Port of Guam," the memo said. "The Cabras Island Channel and the Piti Channel are currently closed until further notice."

Before fully opening the port to unrestricted traffic, a number of things must happen, in particular, extinguishing the fire there. In the meantime, port employees continue to assess the damage, according to the agency's response activity coordinator.

Airport

Dozens of flights have come and gone since the Guam airport reopened late Tuesday afternoon, according to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport Authority Executive Manager Gerald Yingling.

"They were basically scheduled operation flights and a few evacuation flights," Yingling said. "We still have massive damage. But we have air conditioning, our water is working so the bathrooms are comfortable, our emergency generators are working fine, but we, like everybody else, are critical with fuel and things like that."

Yingling said travelers should report to the airport about three hours before their flights because some equipment, including conveyor belts, was damaged.

"A lot of things are being done manually," Yingling said. "Everybody is hampered."

Federal Aviation Administration officials were scheduled to arrive last night to help the Guam airport assess typhoon damage, Yingling said. The airport was closed Sunday and Monday because of safety concerns and inoperable equipment. About 65 percent of the airport perimeter fence was destroyed during the typhoon, Yingling said.

"Our major concern was getting operational and we got operational, I think, in a very short time," Yingling said. " But we are still crippled."

He said employees are working around the clock and have re-erected most of the fence. National Guard members also are providing security around the area.

Transfer sites

The Guam Environmental Protection Agency opened 15 temporary transfer sites yesterday for typhoon-related debris, but there was a change to one of the sites.

The Mangilao site was scheduled to be at the Bill Muna baseball field but it was changed to Eagle Field, according to GEPA acting Director David Longa. Longa said the Bill Muna baseball field is still flooded and cannot be used.

Sites in Dededo and Inarajan are pending, Longa said. The Dededo site was scheduled to be near the Dededo Sports Complex, but there were concerns that people living in shelters may be transferred there. GEPA also is awaiting approval to use a site at the Malojloj Transfer Station. The village mayors determine when the sites open and close.

Telephone

Residents in Dededo and other areas continue to experience phone problems. All phone systems are currently running on generator power. Crews continue to work on the system to restore service.

Residents can call 611 if they are experiencing phone problems.

Inauguration

Gov.-elect Sen. Felix Camacho said he will take office without fanfare. He said he will simply be sworn in Jan. 6 and then move on to the business of leading Guam's recovery from Pongsona's devastation. He made the statement during a brief appearance yesterday afternoon at a Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association meeting about post-Pongsona recovery efforts.

GCC

Classes at Guam Community College for this semester have been canceled because of extensive damage at the Mangilao facility, according to college officials.

"Grades will be determined by work completed thus far," said Anita Limtiaco, GCC's president's secretary. "Faculty should submit grades based on student work completed thus far."

The last day for this semester was to have been Dec. 17.

Pongsona destroyed temporary classrooms, damaged steel and concrete buildings, totaled offices and broke numerous fixtures, said John Camacho, administrative vice president.

"We are still assessing. We are trying to determine in the next few days what the extent of the damage might be," Camacho said. "We are not sure exactly when we might be up and running again."

Camacho said the start of the spring semester is "up in the air" and depends on how quickly the college recovers. The Mangilao facility has no water or power, and some telephone lines were damaged.

Limtiaco said spring registration is suspended until further notice, and placement tests are postponed. But the Guam Visitor's Bureau/GCC 32nd Tour Guide Certification Training, Part I, Day 3 class starts today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room F-7 at the community college.

All Management Information System and maintenance employees are to report to work by 9 a.m. each workday to receive work assignments, Limtiaco said.

"All other employees are to stay home until fuel supplies become available," Limtiaco said.

UOG

All University of Guam students and faculty members must meet during their scheduled exam times during exam week, Dec. 16 to 18, to complete the semester, according to a UOG press release. But all classes scheduled this week have been canceled.

Deans will work with students on a case-by-case basis for those who cannot travel to the university this week or next week, Cathleen Moore-Linn, Director of Integrated Marketing Communications, said in a press release. Those with questions should call their dean's office:

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: 735-2000

College of Arts and Sciences: 735-2850/1

College of Business and Public Administration: 735-2550/1/2

College of Nursing and Health Sciences: 735-2650/1

College of Education: 735-2440/2

Graduate School and Research: 735-2169

Intercession registration continues at the Computer Center in Room 107A from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 23.

The University of Guam's fall commencement ceremony has been canceled but students who were supposed to graduate this month can still pick up their diplomas at the Admission and Records office starting at 9 a.m. Dec. 27. Commencement was to have been held at UOG's field house, but that facility sustained extensive damage. Those who were supposed to graduate this fall can still walk during the spring ceremony in May.

For more information, call the UOG president's office at 735-2990.</font>