Category - Typhoons

Another Typhoon—Bavi This Time

Barely had I returned to Guam after a month in the US when the weather advisories began. First came a weather disturbance, then a tropical storm, then a typhoon, until it finally became a super typhoon. Winds were estimated to reach 180 mph, and the southern Marianas lay directly in its path toward Asia.

Here we go again, I said to myself. Another countdown until it hit, with updates on wind speed and course direction as the government steadily raised the alert level. Meanwhile, I thought, let me finish some catch-up work after a month of travel.

To report another typhoon seems like old news. Three years ago it was Mawar, a wimp of a typhoon compared to the four I experienced while living in Chuuk during the 70s and 80s. I suppose that the typhoon this past week, Sinlaku, might be dismissed as no stronger than Mawar here on Guam. Wind speeds never made it beyond 90 mph, and the damage to buildings seems to have been minor, at least as typhoons go.

Francis X. Hezel, SJ, is a Jesuit priest who has lived and worked in Micronesia since 1963. At different times he has served as high school teacher, school administrator, pastor, and regional superior to the Jesuits of Micronesia. He spent thirty years directing the Micronesian Seminar, a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Pohnpei, Micronesia.

He has written and spoken widely about social change and its impact on island societies. He has also written several books on Micronesian history, including The First Taint of Civilization, Strangers in Their Own Land, and The New Shape of Old Island Cultures. His most recent book, Making Sense of Micronesia: The Logic of Pacific Island Culture, is available through University of Hawaii Press.