RECOVERING FROM CHATA’AN
Educators in Chuuk and Guam Strive to Stay on Course

In early July, Tropical Storm Chata’an roared through Chuuk and on to Guam, picking up typhoon status along the way. In Chuuk, the downpour caused mudslides in which lives were lost, homes were damaged or destroyed, and crops were wiped out. When the typhoon reached Guam July 5, torrential rains and high velocity winds caused such destruction that large numbers of people were left homeless. Rota, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, was affected as well.
In the aftermath, the people of Chuuk and Guam are pulling together to recover from these heavy losses. Below, PREL program staff in Weno and Guam describe Chata’an’s impact on schools in affected areas.

Chuuk Schools Suffer Damage
By Ismael Dobich

Chuuk State is slowly recovering from the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Chata’an, which destroyed homes and killed 48 people, injuring many others. Affected islands include Weno, Tonoas, Fefen, Uman, Udot, and Siis. Through assistance from the U.S. and Japan, people injured by the landslides were evacuated to Guam, Honolulu, and Okinawa for medical treatment. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and agencies in Guam, the U.S., and other countries provided emergency relief to those whose houses were destroyed or severely damaged.

All the schools on the seven Chuuk lagoon islands were damaged, and on the island of Tonoas two Nechap School buildings were totally destroyed. Ten of the lagoon island schools were used to provide shelters for families who had lost their homes, delaying school openings by an average of two to three weeks. By the end of September, classes were open to all students, although a number of schools are seriously overcrowded and some classes are being held in privately owned meeting halls.
Schools in the other Chuuk island groups are suffering as well. Loss of one of two field service boats has decreased service to outer islands, delaying shipments of school supplies and services provided by school personnel based on the lagoon islands. In some places, school supplies and books were destroyed and have yet to be replaced.


Typhoon Chata’an Delays Guam School Openings
By Alice Borja

Typhoon Chata’an devastated Guam, leaving the island with no electricity and little or no water, a situation that persisted from several days to several weeks in different areas. Chata’an, which means “rainy day” in Chamorro, left about 3,000 people homeless. Many took shelter in the public schools, 14 of which were used as emergency shelters July 4-19.

All Guam’s public schools suffered some damage, but none was severe. A greater problem was the contaminated water supply. The entire island was alerted to boil all water before consumption, an alert that for some areas was not lifted until mid-September.

Concern for the health and safety of the approximately 32,000 public school students, as well as time needed for school cleanup and repair, delayed public school openings. Year-round schools lost nine days of instruction, while schools that follow a more traditional schedule lost four days. Lost instructional time will be made up on days previously scheduled for parent/teacher conferences.
 
The people of Chuuk welcome donations to help replace school supplies and books destroyed by Chata'an. Checks should be made payable to the Chuuk-Hawaii Relief Committee and mailed either to the Committee at 1061 Ala Lilikoi St., Honolulu, HI 96818 (phone: 808-833-7114), or to the FSM Consulate at 3049 Ualena St., Suite 910, Honolulu, HI 96819 (phone: 808-836-4775).