Super Typhoon Paka, Dec. 16, 1997
Typhoon Paka passed between Guam and Rota on the night of Dec. 16, 1997. Traveling at 8 mph, the storm bashed Guam with winds between 115-144 mph for eight to 10 hours, according to a post-storm report from the National Weather Service.
In addition, 20 inches of rain fell on Guam in 48 hours, and 75 concrete utility poles were knocked down in the storm.
“Older structures with tin roofs and wood telephone poles were either damaged or destroyed. Many of these had been compromised by prior typhoons, termites, and salt corrosion,” the report stated.
“Several thousand people were made homeless; generally these were people living in older structures that did not meet the new building codes. Fortunately, the southern third of the island, which was beyond the outer eyewall, suffered little damage.”
Scenes from Paka, 1997
A look at other powerful storms that struck Guam
Typhoon Karen: Nov. 11, 1962
Karen brought winds of 175 mph when it struck Guam in 1962, damaging almost every building on the island.
Typhoon Pamela: May 21, 1976
Pamela was already a killer storm by the time it reached Guam, leaving 10 dead in Chuuk before devastating Guam.
Typhoon Russ: Dec. 21, 1990
The eye of Typhoon Russ passed about 15 miles south of Guam a few days before Christmas in 1990.
Super Typhoon Yuri: Nov. 27, 1991
With sustained winds of 165 mph and gusts of 200 mph, Yuri passed about 50 miles south of the island, generating 24-foot waves in the south.
Typhoon Omar: Aug. 28, 1992
The eye of Omar passed directly over the island, causing extensive damage. The 1992 storm season was especially active on Guam, and in other parts of the country.
Past storms on Guam
Karen. Pamela. Omar. Paka. Pongsona. Dolphin. Mangkhut. The bigger storms that blasted Guam are remembered.
Super Typhoon Pongsona: Dec. 8, 2002
``There is no doubt that the impact of this latest storm will be devastating,″ Gov. Carl Gutierrez wrote to President Bush in a request for a disaster declaration.
Typhoon Dolphin: May 15, 2015
The eye of Typhoon Dolphin passed between Guam and Rota, the first time since Pongsona that typhoon-force winds were recorded on Guam.
Typhoon Mangkhut: Sept. 10, 2018
Passing between Guam and Rota overnight, Typhoon Mangkhut caused flooding and knocked out power to about 80% of Guam.