Campus Alert Archive
UOG

Typhoon Mawar Was the Strongest Storm to Hit Guam in 21 Years, and the University Closed Days Before the Eyewall Brushed the Island

GUhurricaneemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Between May 22 and May 25, 2023, Super Typhoon Mawar — the strongest storm to affect Guam since Typhoon Pongsona in 2002 — passed just north of the island as a Category 4-equivalent typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts to 165 mph near Andersen AFB. The University of Guam closed its Mangilao campus ahead of the storm as the Government of Guam escalated through Conditions of Readiness, and moved the entire Finakpo' (summer) session to online instruction for the first week after Mawar's passage.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Guam
Territory · GU
~3,500 studentsUOG Campus Advisories / Triton Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction446 chars
TRITON ALERT: Due to the approach of Typhoon Mawar, the University of Guam Mangilao campus will close at the end of business today. All in-person classes, activities, and events are suspended until further notice. Faculty, staff, and students should secure their work and home areas, prepare emergency supplies, and follow the Government of Guam's Conditions of Readiness. Continue to monitor UOG email and the Campus Advisories page for updates.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

ChST (Chamorro Standard Time, UTC+10) is the local timezone for Guam — the same as the CNMI
The Government of Guam moved through Condition of Readiness levels in the days before Mawar's closest approach on May 24, 2023
The UOG Campus Advisories page (originally a COVID-era resource) became the central channel for Mawar-related notifications
UPDATEWebsite+1d
Approximate reconstruction370 chars
UOG remains closed as Typhoon Mawar passes north of Guam. Conditions across the island are dangerous: do not travel. Power and water disruptions are widespread. All Finakpo' summer session activities are postponed. We will assess campus damage and provide further updates once it is safe to do so. Stay safe, secure shelter, and check on neighbors when conditions allow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Mawar's eyewall passed just north of Guam on May 24, with sustained winds of 140 mph
The Government of Guam declared a state of emergency and an island-wide curfew during the storm
Power was knocked out across the majority of the island, and Commonwealth Utilities reported water service restoration only by May 27
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction466 chars
Finakpo' 2023 Update: All summer session courses will be conducted ONLINE for the first week as the island recovers from Typhoon Mawar. Students without power or internet at home should use one of the off-campus Green Zones, which will provide WiFi access for class attendance and coursework. Faculty have been notified to maintain flexibility with deadlines. A one-stop location for student services will open at the SBPA Building on Tuesday, June 6. Triton Strong.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

'Triton Strong' is UOG's mascot-derived rallying phrase used during the Mawar recovery
Green Zones — off-campus WiFi locations — were a novel post-typhoon adaptation, since many students' homes lacked power for weeks
The SBPA (School of Business and Public Administration) Building one-stop opened June 6, roughly 13 days after Mawar's passage
Context

Background

The University of Guam at Mangilao is the largest higher-education institution in Guam and a land-grant institution serving Micronesia with approximately 3,500 students. Between May 22 and May 25, 2023, Super Typhoon Mawar tracked west-northwest from the Philippine Sea toward the Mariana Islands; on May 24 it brushed Guam at Category 4-equivalent intensity, the strongest storm to hit the island since Typhoon Pongsona in 2002. The National Weather Service Guam later documented maximum sustained winds of 140 mph at the storm's center and gusts near 165 mph affecting northern Guam and Andersen Air Force Base. The University of Guam closed its Mangilao campus as the Government of Guam escalated Conditions of Readiness, postponed all Finakpo' summer session activities, and after the storm moved the first week of summer classes entirely online. Because much of the island lost power and water — with Commonwealth Utilities not fully restoring water until May 27 — UOG opened off-campus 'Green Zone' study spaces to provide WiFi for students whose homes lacked utilities, and stood up a one-stop student-services location at the SBPA Building on June 6, 2023. The case is significant for the archive as the most documented modern hurricane response by Guam's flagship territorial university — and an example of how a US-territory institution adapts a COVID-era online-instruction infrastructure to natural-disaster recovery.
Analysis

Key Findings

Typhoon Mawar was the strongest storm to affect Guam in 21 years (since Typhoon Pongsona in 2002), with sustained winds of 140 mph
UOG closed its Mangilao campus on May 22, 2023, more than 36 hours before Mawar's closest approach on May 24
UOG moved the entire first week of Finakpo' summer instruction online — using infrastructure built during the COVID-19 pandemic to absorb a natural-disaster recovery
The university opened off-campus 'Green Zone' WiFi spaces for students whose homes lacked power and water — a novel post-typhoon adaptation
The Government of Guam's Condition of Readiness (COR) system, not UOG's own alerts, set the operational tempo for the campus closure
Commonwealth Utilities only restored island-wide water service by May 27, three days after Mawar's passage — UOG's reopening tracked utility restoration, not damage assessment
Outcome
Mawar passed about 30 miles north of Guam at peak intensity, knocking out power and water across much of the island. The University of Guam Mangilao campus sustained damage to vegetation and outdoor facilities but its main buildings held; the campus closed multiple days. UOG moved the Finakpo' 2023 summer session entirely online for the first week of recovery, opened off-campus 'Green Zone' study spaces with WiFi for students without power, and stood up a one-stop student-services location at the SBPA Building on June 6, 2023. There were no UOG fatalities and no reported student or staff injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Finakpo' 2023 Updates - University of Guam
    uog.edu
  2. News
    University of Guam opens off-campus study spaces - Pacific Daily News (Post-Guam)
    postguam.com
  3. Report
    NWS Guam Assessment on Typhoon Mawar
    weather.gov
  4. Official
    Typhoon Mawar Update: Typhoon Warning in Effect - Office of the Governor of Guam
    governor.guam.gov
  5. Source
    Typhoon Mawar - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  6. News
    Typhoon Mawar: Guam faces damage in wake of massive storm - CNN
    cnn.com
  7. News
    Guam is still recovering from Typhoon Mawar, but residents are taking it in stride - NPR
    npr.org
Tags
hurricanetyphoonterritoryguamuniversity-of-guammangilaocategory-4mawaronline-instructiongreen-zonesland-grantmicronesia
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion