SAN FRANCISCO — Super Typhoon Bavi made landfall on Rota earlier this week as an extremely dangerous storm with sustained 180 mph winds, the strongest storm to ever hit the island. Red Cross disaster teams and supplies were prepositioned on Guam and Saipan before the storm made landfall to provide immediate assistance. As of July 1^st, disaster volunteers from across the country, including 11 from the Northern California Coastal Region, have landed or are travelling to the islands to support those impacted by this historic storm. They join local volunteers from the Red Cross Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Chapters, all working with local officials and partners to ensure people get the help they need.

11 local volunteers are supporting in a variety of ways:

1. Alzinia Palin of Solano County supporting the workforce team
2. Andrew Rosenberg of San Francisco County supporting with sheltering
3. Ann Kuchins of San Mateo County supporting with sheltering
4. Gale Carli of San Mateo County providing Disaster Health Services
5. Hilary King of Marin County serving as Mass Care Chief
6. Liru Chin of San Mateo County supporting with disaster technology needs
7. Lydia Vidaurri-Fulton of San Joaquin County supporting with sheltering
8. Mac Bala of Santa Clara County supporting with sheltering
9. Roxanne Morse of Marin County supporting with sheltering
10. Ruxandra-Oana Muys-Stoian of Santa Clara County supporting with sheltering
11. Stephen Wylie of San Mateo County supporting with sheltering

The threat from Super Typhoon Bavi comes as many residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are still recovering from Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which caused widespread damage and destruction less than three months ago. Together, Sinlaku and Bavi highlight the heightened disaster risk facing Pacific communities and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Following Sinlaku, hundreds of Red Cross volunteers and partners spent more than 80 days supporting recovery efforts and are once again mobilizing to help communities weather the impact of Bavi.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN IMPACTED

If you have been impacted by Super Typhoon Bavi, please contact your local Red Cross for support by calling 671-472-6217 (Guam) or 670-234-3459 (Saipan).

Shelters are open across the region and the National Weather Service is urging residents to listen to any evacuation orders for their neighborhoods. 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.

LOOKING FOR A LOVED ONE?

If you have a loved one or friend that is missing due to Super Typhoon Bavi, please visit redcross.org/gethelp and follow the steps to fill out a reunification request to tell us about the person(s) you are looking for. Provide as much detail as you can to assist us in potentially locating your missing loved one. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

To support the Red Cross response in Guam and CNMI, you can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999.  You can also get involved and register as a volunteer by visiting redcross.org/volunteer.