Guam, Marianas Islands Residents Rebuilding Their Lives Again After Two Super Typhoons Hit the Region Just Weeks Apart

Man in Red Cross vest looks at storm damage.

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Guam resident and disaster volunteer Ellery Paz, a retired U.S. Air Force medical technician, supports the American Red Cross response following Super Typhoon Bavi by driving through affected neighborhoods to check on homes and communities impacted by the storm. Bavi left a path of destruction across Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, including Saipan and the hardest-hit island of Rota. Red Cross photo by Mimi Teller

Man in Red Cross vest and woman in blue dress study her damaged home.

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Disaster volunteer Ellery Paz is supporting damage assessment efforts by driving through affected neighborhoods to check on homes and communities impacted by the storm. During his assessments, Paz met with Yona resident Brenda Hernandez, whose home was severely damaged when a 40-foot breadfruit tree fell across it, cracking a concrete wall and creating a large gap along the roofline. Hernandez said water has been pouring into her family's kitchen since the storm. As uninsured homeowners, the Hernandez family faces an uncertain future. Red Cross photo by Mimi Teller

A destroyed home with pieces of blue roof tarp also visible.

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This home on Saipan saw new damage from Super Typhoon Bavi. Roof tarps are still visible from damage to the home in April from Super Typhoon Sinlaku. More than 2,500 people were living in tents or homes with compromised roofs after the April storm when Bavi unleased its new destruction. Red Cross photo by Peter Teahan

A tall, bent tree looms over a destroyed home.

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An old, bent tree towers over a destroyed home on Saipan. More than 2,500 people were living in tents or homes with compromised roofs after the April storm when Bavi unleased its new destruction. Red Cross photo by Peter Teahan

Man in Red Cross vest stands surrounded by children

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Tracy Smart, Red Cross volunteer from Ohio, entertains Delma Kaiko’s family. The family’s home suffered major structural damage. Red Cross staff and volunteers are beginning to assess the damage left behind by Typhoon Bavi. Red Cross photo by Mimi Teller

Man in Red Cross vest entertains several children

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Mariano Soto (at left), Community Disaster Program Manager from Puerto Rico, plays with Kingjen, Triny, Amarii and Fao Kaiko in Chalan Ramirez, Guam. The family’s home suffered major structural damage with parts of the roof missing and two walls leaning away from the home. Red Cross photo by Mimi Teller

Man in Red Cross vest walks between damaged structures

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Mariano Soto, Community Disaster Program Manager from Puerto Rico, is part of the Red Cross teams beginning to assess the damage left behind by Typhoon Bavi. Here he checks on a damaged home in the Chalan Kristen neighborhood of Guam. Red Cross photo by Mimi Teller

Many people have been displaced twice since April after two powerful typhoons hit the islands only 83 days apart.

July 16, 2026

The people on Guam and the Marianas Islands are starting to rebuild their lives after living through two catastrophic typhoons that struck the region only 83 days apart. They are living with physical, financial and psychological burdens, many being displaced twice since April. The American Red Cross is with them, helping the affected households and communities once again move toward recovery.

Super Typhoon Sinlaku hit the region on April 14, causing widespread damage. Then it happened again ─ Super Typhoon Bavi made landfall on July 6 as thousands of people were living in tents or with tarps for roofs. Bavi forced many of these families to evacuate again and delayed any recovery they had planned.

“Following two catastrophic typhoons within 83 days, our purpose is not to merely deliver standard disaster services, but to reduce the burdens borne by survivors,” reported Brad Kieserman, vice president, Disaster Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross. “In the spirit of Inafa'maolek ─ to restore harmony and order ─ we will tailor services to the distinct needs, cultures and conditions of each island and community, working in unified partnership with survivors and community partners.”

RED CROSS RESPONSE Red Cross disaster teams continue to support damage assessment and identify what people need. They are managing and supporting shelters in Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota. Working with our partners, they are supporting efforts to get households stabilized with food, emergency supplies, health & mental health services and financial assistance.

Caseworkers will meet with households to help them transition from shelters to more sustainable living arrangements. With partners, the Red Cross will continue community feeding and distribution of relief supplies.

In addition to the core relief supplies nearly every disaster survivor needs, the Red Cross will tailor support to the distinct needs, cultures and conditions of each island and community. Some of these additional supplies include coolers, tarps, solar lights, flashlights, hand sanitizer and wipes, bug repellent, mosquito nets, butane stoves, collapsible water jugs, sunscreen, first aid kits, portable showers, camping shower tents, soap, solar fans and meal kits related to the local culture.

”Operation Inafa'maolek will co-create positive recovery outcomes with survivors, meeting people where they are and giving them culturally appropriate relief supplies.” Kieserman said.

In the days and weeks to come, the Red Cross will support people on the islands as they recover from the typhoons’ devastation. Disaster workers will help until sheltering is no longer required; feeding and distribution needs have stabilized and survivors understand how to access continuing recovery support.

YOU CAN HELP people affected by disasters like floods, storms and countless other crises by making a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, whenever and wherever they occur across the country. Donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-REDCROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999.

You can also help by becoming a volunteer. Get involved and register as a volunteer by visiting redcross.org/volunteer or contact your local chapter. Guam Chapter: (671) 472-6217; CNMI Chapter: (670) 234-3459

FIND A SHELTER You can find open Red Cross shelters on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling the local Red Cross chapter at 671-472-6217 to get connected to our call center at 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). You can also check with local officials and monitor local news for information on where to find emergency shelter.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster.

Mission Leader Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Bank of America; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Dollar General; Ford Philanthropy; Lowe's; State Farm

ADGP Leaders: Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; Chick-fil-A; CMA CGM Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Honda; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Nationwide Foundation; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; Wells Fargo Foundation

ADGP Members: ALDI; The Allstate Foundation; Altria Group; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Bread Financial; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Edison International Foundation; Elevance Health Foundation; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Fox Corporation; GE Aerospace Foundation; General Motors; Google.org; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Microsoft; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; Stryker; Suburban Propane; Target; The Winn-Dixie Company; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Wingstop Restaurants; Zoetis Foundation

Disaster Responder Program Members: 3M; 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Aflac; Albemarle Corporation; The Allstate Foundation; American Family Insurance; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AstraZeneca; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco Systems, Inc. and Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; CSX; The Deluxe Foundation; DENSO North America Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dollar General; Dollar Tree; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Coffee; Edward Jones; Eli Lilly and Company Foundation; Enbridge; Equitable ; Erie Insurance; Farmers Insurance®; Fastenal; GEICO Philanthropic Foundation; Grainger; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; John Deere; Johnson & Johnson Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation ; L'Oréal Groupe; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo ; Liberty Mutual Insurance; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Martin Marietta; Masco Corporation; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Mutual of Omaha Foundation; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Nike Foundation; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Old Republic; Pacific Life Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Phillips 66; Pilot Company; Prudential; QBE Foundation; Qualcomm; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reynolds American Inc.; RGA Foundation; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Salesforce; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Sunbelt Rentals; T-Mobile; Tennant Company; Toyota Tsusho America, Inc.; Uber; U-Haul International; Uber; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; US Foods; Westlake Corporation; Yum! Brands; Zurich

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.