Political Quotes

“the people of Guam eagerly anticipate the State of the Union report which President Bush will deliver tonight. While the President will speak in broad terms about the Nation, I take this opportunity to let the Nation know about the situation on my home island of Guam, which has been recently devastated by Super Typhoon Pongsona. Super Typhoon Pongsona struck Guam on December 8, 2002, with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour and wind gusts exceeding 200 miles per hour. This severe typhoon battered Guam for 8 long hours; and in its aftermath, Guam's power, water, and wastewater systems were seriously damaged. In addition, Guam had just begun to fully recover from another storm, Typhoon Chata'an, which struck in July 2002, barely 6 months before Typhoon Pongsona. Our island looked like a war zone. Hotels had their windows blown out and over 120 concrete power poles snapped due to the force of Pongsona. Aluminum typhoon shutters were ripped off the windows; and air conditioners were blown off roof tops and windows, creating holes for rain to destroy the interior of our homes. Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Station, and Apra Harbor, were hit hard, as well as our own civilian airport, closing both airports and delaying relief flights. Four fuel storage tanks at the Port of Guam caught fire and burned for days, jeopardizing nearby storage tanks filled with aviation fuel, gasoline and diesel fuel.”