Rota chamber head rates island's preparedness a '5'

As Super Typhoon Bavi barrels toward the Marianas, Rota Chamber of Commerce acting president Juan T. Guerrero believes the island is only "about a five" on a preparedness scale of 1 to 10, citing shortages of critical building materials and concerns that many residents remain vulnerable despite repeated warnings. 

Speaking via Zoom call this morning, July 4, as both the acting head of the Rota Chamber of Commerce and a longtime businessman, Guerrero said the island is facing a shortage of plywood at a time when residents are scrambling to protect their homes from what is forecast to be a Category 5 storm.

"Based on what I've read and heard so far, it's very scary. I hope that our people are more prepared now with all the warnings that have been coming out on a daily basis, hour by hour," Guerrero said.

He said one of his biggest concerns is the lack of available housing if homes are severely damaged, noting that rental units on the island are largely reserved for disaster response personnel.

Guerrero also said hardware stores have been out of plywood for weeks.

"I heard also that all the hardware stores have been out for months or weeks with plywood. Not even a quarter inch or half inch. And that's scary because some houses do not have typhoon shelters. Many of them are going to be exposed," he said.

As owner of GTS Construction, Guerrero said he has received numerous calls from residents seeking help to prepare for the approaching storm. However, he said his immediate priority has been securing his own family's properties.

"This morning, I received a number of calls asking if I had, because like I said, I do some construction work. But my priorities are to close and secure our businesses, our homes, even our rental units, which we did yesterday," he said.

Guerrero said his businesses, including Island A Heart Retail, have already been shuttered and secured ahead of the storm. 

"Yesterday, we closed down our Island A Heart, and we secured the doors. So my business is well secured, as far as I'm concerned. My home is secured. We closed our windows," he said.

He added that he ordered typhoon shutters shortly after Super Typhoon Sinlaku but has yet to receive them because of limited cargo sailings to Rota. Freight costs have also risen sharply, with Guerrero estimating it now costs about $10 just to ship a single sheet of plywood to the island.

Guerrero urged residents not to wait until the last minute to prepare.

"My message to the people of Rota is to be prepared, secure housing if you need shelters. If your house has a thin roof, I suggest that you move to a concrete roof shelter. And act now. Don't wait for tomorrow. Don't wait for Sunday. When Sunday comes, it's going to be a totally different scenario," he said.