As news of Typhoon Mawar approaching Guam reached emergency services in the U.S., FEMA prepared to airlift emergency supplies to the island. Pacific Air Cargo was tasked with the provision of two emergency charter flights in support of relief efforts.
The storm ravaged the territory on Wednesday May 24 during the night, leaving thousands without power, water, and telecommunication.
B747-400 relief operations
Pacific Air Cargo was tasked to support relief efforts by flying two emergency relief charter flights to Guam (GUM), the first on Saturday May 27 and the second yesterday, May 29.
The cargo contained relief supplies that are stored in Honolulu at the FEMA facility at Diamond Head in readiness for just such events.
Both Pacific Air Cargo B747-400 flights operated from Honolulu (HNL) to GUM, the first carrying more than 230,000 lbs. of equipment and the second carried the balance of the relief supplies.
“I am proud that Pacific Air Cargo can once again be a lifeline to the Pacific Island communities,” stated Tanja Janfruechte, Pacific Air Cargo CEO. “Our team is experienced at handling this type of cargo and the sense of urgency that it calls for.”
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Typhoon Mawar
The strongest typhoon to hit the territory of roughly 150,000 people since 2002, Mawar briefly made landfall around 9 p.m. Wednesday as a Category 4 storm with winds of 140 mph and gusts up to 165 mph, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center stated.
The central and northern parts of the island received more than 2 feet of rain as the eyewall passed. The island’s international airport flooded, and the swirling typhoon churned up a storm surge and waves that crashed through coastal reefs and flooded homes.
Guam Power Authority is currently working to restore power. It reported on Wednesday that only 1,000 out of its approximately 52,000 customers still had power supply and Guam Memorial Hospital was operating on a standby generator.
Disruptions to scheduled flight services
On May 24, the day the typhoon made landfall, all flights to and from Guam were cancelled. Flights subsequently resumed on May 25, but some airlines were still experiencing delays and cancellations.
The broad range of major carriers were affected by inclement weather associated with the typhoon. As of May 31 2023, all flights to and from Guam were operating normally.
“At Pacific Air Cargo, we are always prepared to assist in this type of emergency,” said Paul Skellon, Director Marketing, Communications & PR for Pacific Air Cargo.
“Our goal is to offer assistance as quickly and efficiently as possible to those in need — helping them get back to normal life a soon as possible.”
About Pacific Air Cargo
Founded in 2000, Pacific Air Cargo (PAC) provides exclusive Boeing 747-400 express air cargo services six days a week between Los Angeles and Honolulu, with onward connections to Hawaii’s neighbor islands.
It also provides a weekly service to Pago Pago (American Samoa), bi-weekly service to Guam, and road feeder service to many gateway locations across the US mainland. Pacific Air Cargo CEO, Tanja Janfruechte and her professional, friendly team have had a long and well-respected history of reliable, on-time service to the air freight markets in Hawaii, the United States mainland, and throughout the Pacific.
Pacific Air Cargo was named as one of the Top 10 Freight Forwarding Services in the Nation in 2022 by Logistics & Transportation Review.
