Guam grateful Hawai'i sent help after typhoon

By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer

Proprietor Jeff Pleadwell says his Pirates Cove bar in southern Guam is "the ultimate beach bar in the world, a place that would make Hemingway jealous."

Christian Pascual, 6, plays with brother Travis, 4, outside their home in Dededo — a Federal Emergency Management Agency-issue tent — a month after Supertyphoon Pongsona devastated Guam. Masako Watanabe • Pacific Daily News

"It wears you down," Pleadwell said. "I had just finished rebuilding a bunch of small outside buildings damaged in the earlier storm. Sometimes I feel, 'The hell with it, I am getting out.' "

One thing that lifted Pleadwell's spirits was the arrival of a container, weeks after the storm, with some $20,000 worth of bottled water, canned goods, tents, flashlights and toilet paper — all donated by residents of Hawai'i.

The contents, distributed by the Salvation Army to Pleadwell's less-fortunate neighbors, represented a small portion of the millions of dollars in recovery assistance sent to Guam by Hawai'i groups including the Navy, Air Force, Bank of Hawaii, American Red Cross and folks who dropped dimes and dollars into canisters on the counters at local McDonald's.

Hawai'i's aid to Guam typhoon victims has included $30,000 in relief donations through the American Red Cross, as well as the $20,000 worth of goods collected by Pleadwell's daughter, Honolulu public relations consultant Barbra Pleadwell.

The City and County of Honolulu last week ended a fire station drop-off program in which residents donated bottled water, nonperishable food items, toilet paper, sleeping bags and clothing, all destined for a future shipment.

At the American Red Cross' Hawai'i chapter, spokeswoman Jocelyn Collado reported that about $30,000 was raised locally, much of it earmarked for a $17 million Guam relief fund being collected by the Red Cross nationwide.

McDonald's continues raising money at its counters around the state through this month, she said.

Barbra Pleadwell's drive, which started three days after the Dec. 8 typhoon, filled a container donated by Hawaii Modular Space for free shipment by CSX Lines.

"I lived in that area, which is rural and with significant poverty levels, and where distributing needed goods in a disaster is often a challenge," Pleadwell said.

Pongsona was remarkable even by Guam standards, she said.

"My sisters lost their home. Because of a fire at the port, many of the supplies that were available couldn't be moved."

The tourism-based economy already had been hurting, and "this was the last thing we needed."

Doug Welty, spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, said the agency was able to bring more help to more people faster than ever on Guam because they had had plenty of practice during the earlier typhoon.

The Navy turned out to be one of the biggest spenders, repairing its own facilities there as well as the ones it shares with the community, such as a water plant and hospital.

Ensign Mike Morley, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet, said more than $6.25 million worth of goods and services was provided, benefiting civilians in addition to 4,100 sailors.

The Air Force also made major contributions, dispatching a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Hawaii Air National Guard with 19 civil engineers and other personnel from the 15th Air Base Wing at Hickam Air Force Base to Andersen Air Force Base, which sustained loss of power and water, major damage to base structures and more than 1,000 downed trees.

About $15,000 worth of lumber, fencing, batteries and other construction and relief supplies were quickly loaded onto several aircraft.

The Air Force also flew a full mobile field hospital from Tokyo with a staff of 89, including 10 doctors and 13 nurses.

Another big friend was the Bank of Hawaii, which made a $25,000 corporate donation to the recovery effort — matching the $25,000 it had made after the storm last summer.

"We also sent some containers for our own Guam employees," said bank spokeswoman Carol Pang.

Many of those 160 employees "were definitely affected," Pang said. "They had homes destroyed or damaged. They were very appreciative of the donations from the public and the bank."

Back at Jeff's Pirates Cove, the beer was still cold only because Pleadwell has a generator.

"There are still a lot of tin roofs laying around, a lot of power lines down," he said.

Many are still without water, he said, "and we were really glad to see that the container from Hawai'i had a lot of bottled water."

What more would Guam like to see from Hawai'i?

"Well," Pleadwell said, "if you could send us some more of your tourists. We compete with Hawai'i for tourists. Tell them it's OK to come down here."

Reach Walter Wright at wwright@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8054.