BREAKING NEWS: Guam in COR3

By Barbara Brown

(Tumon, Guam) Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has declared Guam in Condition of Readiness 3. The Joint Information Center has been activated for the typhoon.

1:15 p.m. (ChST) update:

Ms. Leon Guerrero placed the island in COR3 at 1 p.m. and partially activated the Emergency Operations Center and the Joint Information Center to prepare for and respond to Typhoon Hagibis.

COR3 does not trigger the closure of the government of Guam or schools, however, according to the first Hagibis release from the JIC, the Department of Education has identified schools in the north, central, and south to be used as emergency shelters, should that need arise. More information is pending from the JIC on this.

The shift in condition of readiness has precipitated the coordination of early emergency response. This includes the pre-staging of equipment to minimize flooding in flood-prone areas by the Department of Public Works and the mayors of Guam.

It is unclear at this point when and if the governor will declare COR2.

Hagibis wobbling and has "extreme rapid intensification"

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center has noted that satellite imagery of Hagibis "depicts a compact eyewall. It indicates "a slight wobble in the track motion." Chip Guard, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service this morning warned officials that a slight veering of the storm south or north may mean significant changes to how different areas of the Marianas will be affected.

The JTWC information further notes that Hagibis "is undergoing extreme rapid intensification."

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