The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is still operating off the coast of Guam, providing support for disaster relief operations for the U.S. territory that was struck by Super Typhoon Marwa late last month, Navy officials told USNI News.
The Navy secured federal waivers for USS Nimitz (CVN-68) to serve as a communications and transmission hub for local authorities. Helicopters assigned to Carrier Air Wing 17 are also assisting civil authorities.
Guam is wrestling with wide swaths of destruction from 140-mile-per-hour winds and 30-foot waves when Super Typhoon Mawar skirted across the U.S. territory last week.
“Recovery from Typhoon Mawar is no quick feat,” Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said, according to Stars and Stripes. “It will take time and collaborative efforts from everyone in this community.”
As of Thursday, half of the island was without power and only about half of the island’s water systems were operational.
Naval Base Guam may not get power fully restored for several weeks, base commander Capt. Michael Luckett said earlier this week.
“It’s going to be a phased approach as we start to restore systems here, probably over the next couple of weeks. This is unfortunate, but it is our reality,” he said.
In addition to the Nimitz CSG, the Air Forced deployed a five-person Disaster Recovery Response Team from the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Natural Disaster Recovery Division based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., this week to support disaster relief efforts.
Source : USNI News