Super Typhoon Paka had the highest known winds to ever hit Guam. From my point of view, it was a horror to be part of the storm that came to Guam on December 16, 1997! In this typhoon, it seemed to have two eyes, or centers. If you are in the center of the eye of a typhoon, it's calm. But, the winds immediately surrounding the eye are the strongest and you'd probably be blown away!
The top winds recorded during Super Typhoon Paka were 236 miles per hour! We watched the typhoon approaching Guam for many days. On the 16th, we did not have school and waited for Paka. It did not really hit Guam until the evening. My parents made my brother and I sleep in the hall. This way, we were safe if the windows broke. We could hear the wind ALL night! The water even blew in through the concrete walls!
Many wooden houses were blown down, but I live in a reinforced concrete house and it remained standing. Power poles, both wooden and concrete, were blown over and trees were knocked down everywhere.
Of course there was no electricity after the typhoon left. On Christmas, we thought we would not have any electricity either. But, what a relief, on Christmas Eve we had power again! Other people didn't receive power until the middle of January. Some people in more remote areas of Guam were without power for six months to a year. Cable television was out for 3-6 months. Traffic lights didn't work for a long time either!
I've been through several other typhoons on Guam before, but none like Paka. During my last year here on Guam, I hope we don't have another destructive typhoon!
