Guam, GU Environment & Hazard Risk

• HurricaneNot rated$149M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
• TsunamiNot rated$39.8M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8 years
• EarthquakeNot rated$26.4M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10 years
• Coastal floodingNot rated$148K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter weather.

Check the flood zone for an address

Flood claims since 1978

182

Claims paid since 1978

$2.5M

• Drought12
• Flood10
• Flash Flood10
• Debris Flow3
• Hurricane (Typhoon)2
• Tropical Storm2
• Heavy Rain2 · 1 death
• Rip Current2 · 2 deaths
• High Surf1
• Dust Devil1

• Rip Current03/31/2017

  Belau

  1 death, 1 injured

  What happened

  A 37-year-old man died on the reef just off of Ipan Talofofo, Guam.||Guam Fire Department responded to a beach along the east side of Guam after 23:40 on the night of the 30th. At that time fire department personnel pulled a distressed fisherman to safety. ||The fisherman told the firefighters that he and a few other people were walking the reef, searching for lobsters. Since the other men could not be seen, searchers combed the Calvo Beach area near Ipan, Talofofo.||Sea heights just off-shore were between 8 and 9 feet as recorded by the Ipan wave rider buoy. The tide was also decreasing during the evening which may have helped enhance already strong currents. ||At around 10:00 am on the 31st, a U. S. Coast Guard boat recovered the body of the 37-year-old man outside the reef in front of the Calvo Beach in Ipan, Talofofo Guam.

• Rip Current12/22/2024

  Belau

  1 death, 1 injured

  What happened

  According to a news article in the Islands Times, a newspaper in Palau, two men from Ngaraard went fishing of the east side of island when their kayak overturned Some time after noon. One man, 32 years old, was swept out to sea, while the other, age not given, grabbed onto a buoy within the channel. The man who grabbed the buoy eventually decided not to fight the strong currents and drifted out of channel, but later was swept back over the reef and he was able to get back to shore early in the evening. The 32 year old man was never found and assumed lost. Altimetry and buoy data near Palau reported seas around 7 to 8 feet with a mixed east swell and secondary NNW swell.

• Hurricane (Typhoon)12/03/2012

  Belau

  $10.1M damage

  What happened

  After passing Chuuk on 28 November, Tropical Storm Bopha intensified into a typhoon on the afternoon of the 30th as it moved west-northwestward through southern Yap State. Late in the evening of the 30th, Bopha began to intensify rapidly, and by the morning of 1 December it was in far western Yap State with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. Bopha continued to intensify as it headed toward Koror in the Republic of Palau, and by 1000 GST on 2 December, Bopha was a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, centered about 200 miles east-southeast of Koror and moving west-northwest. But about this time, Bopha turned slightly to the west, and passed about 55 miles south of Koror at 2200 GST the evening of the 2nd with maximum winds of 155 mph. At about 2330 GST, the eye of Bopha passed 20 miles south of the southern island of Angaur. Bopha then weakened as it moved on west of Palau, and by 1000 GST on the morning of 3 December, Typhoon Bopha was 200 miles west-southwest of Koror with maximum winds of 120 mph. ||As it passed Palau, Super Typhoon Bopha brought tropical storm conditions to Koror and points north on Babeldaob Island. But further south, the islands of...

• Heavy Rain08/10/2014

  Sinajana, Guam County

  1 death

  What happened

  Afternoon thunderstorms developed over the island of Guam, a light wind flow pattern prevailed across the area and because of this the storms were nearly stationary.||A lot of hikers had taken to Guam's trails that day because it was Saturday and the day had begun as a sunny one. One group, consisting of 4 people, decided to trek to San Carlos Falls (located at 13 26' 33N 144 43'56.8E) on the Lonfit River. The group consisted of a younger female hiker (niece), her older aunt, and two other people.||As the thunderstorms began to form over central Guam, the heavy rain and slow movement of the convection caused water in the Lonfit River to rise quickly. Along with the rise in the river was an increase in its current, which became stronger over a short period of time. Faced with a quickly rising river and strong current, the hikers made the decision to head back and away from the river. ||The river, however, rose very quickly from ankle deep to waist deep in minutes. |Despite their best efforts, everything they could grab onto was being swept away |by the rushing river. The group decided that they no choice but to climb straight |up the sheer sides of the river on either side of...

• Hurricane (Typhoon)04/14/2021

  Belau

  $5.9M damage

  What happened

  Typhoon Surigae began as a weak tropical disturbance well to the southwest of Weno, Chuuk. On April 9, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) opened Invest Area 94W on a weak circulation centered near 6N146E.||By the afternoon of the 13th the Joint Typhoon Warning Center made the circulation an invest area, Invest 94W, as it was located east of Palau near 7N138E.||The circulation became Tropical Depression 02W in the early morning of the 14th of April as it was located near 8N137E. The system continued to intensify and later in the morning of the 14th it became Tropical Storm Surigae ||Surigae continued to intensify as it moved slowly west and than west-southwest and by the morning of the 16th it became a typhoon when it was located 40 miles north of Kayangel in Palau. This was the time of closest approach to Koror and Kayangel. Surigae when it was a minimal typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. As it moved away from Palau and Kayangel its intensification was more rapid as it became better organized over the next 24 hours. Along with this intensification was an increasing size of the wind field associated with the strengthening typhoon. This enlarged wind field...

• High Surf10/05/2015

  Belau

  3 injured

  What happened

  During the morning of October 3rd, Tropical Depression 23W formed just west of Wake Island. The depression became Tropical Storm Choi-wan later that same morning. Further intensification resulted in Choi-wan becoming a typhoon on the afternoon of the 6th. The typhoon passed to the northeast of the Marianas, and even though it did not pass across any local islands, swells generated by the typhoon pushed down across Guam. The long period swells from Choi-wan impacted a 25 foot boat that was trying to exit Hagatna Boat Basin on the morning of the 9th. The waves capsized the boat and sent two out of the three people using the boat to the hospital.

• Gwa Northern Water SystemServes 139,207 · Groundwater · StateNo health violations
• U.S. Navy Water SystemServes 12,780 · Surface water · Federal2 health violations
• Gwa Central Water SystemServes 8,828 · Purchased surface water · State1 health violation
• Andersen Air Force Base Water SystemServes 7,700 · Groundwater · FederalNo health violations
• Gwa Southern Water SystemServes 5,801 · Surface water · StateNo health violations