#FlashbackFriday: 1976—Typhoon Pamela Strikes Guam

On May 20, 1976—49 years ago this week—Typhoon Pamela struck Guam. Described as a “supertyphoon,” Pamela generated winds up to 190 mph during its peak. Damage was estimated at $300 million for the island, including a $1.5 million loss at the Exchange.

The storm snapped trees in half and knocked down light poles at Andersen Air Force Base. Although the main Exchange store suffered only water damage, other Exchange facilities and equipment were damaged or destroyed by the storm. At a service station, one pump was broken off. A concessions building was leveled. The photo at the top of this story shows damage to a warehouse.

“Supertyphoon” Pamela leveled a concessions building near the Andersen AFB main store in 1976.

About 3 p.m. May 21, telephone contact was re-established with the Guam Exchange. Thirty minutes later, personnel from the Hawaii Regional Exchange (HRE) depot and the Pacific region were placed on alert to provide aid. On May 22, a team was airlifted to Guam to provide assistance.

Guam associates also pitched in.

“To get things going again for the Exchange, most of our employees reported for work quickly even though they had major damage at their own homes,” said Frank Hardt, HRE executive. “They worked 12-16 hours a day and even more to accomplish a massive repair and cleanup of water and trash.”

The main store reopened on May 29 with limited hours. Stock assortment was increased to include such items as camp stoves, lanterns, charcoal, fuel and ice chests.

What was left of the Guam Exchange’s New Car Sales Center after Typhoon Pamela. The center reopened a couple of weeks later inside the Andersen AFB BX.

HRE and Pacific associates started an Emergency Relief Fund for Guam associates. A fund/clothes collection drive took place during June. At Pacific HQ, a collection box was placed at the entrance of the Hele Mai Inn for monetary donations.

At the Hickam, Fort Shafter and Schofield main stores, boxes for clothing donations were placed in the employee break areas. A trust fund was opened at the Bank of Hawaii for monetary donations. Periodic clothing pickups were made at the main stores and delivered to the depot, where clothing was stored until the drive was complete. The Emergency Relief Fund drive collected 1,264 pounds of children’s and adult clothing, as well as more than $1,150 in donations.

One associate at the Guam store, Rose Mabesa, began her Exchange career in 1947—and Pamela was her second major typhoon. The first, Typhoon Karen, devastated the island in 1962, with winds recorded at up to 200 mph. Mabesa recalled that all merchandise had to be marked down drastically because of water damage in 1962; in 1976, she recalled, associates worked hard—and successfully—to save merchandise.

Through the years, other typhoons have hit Guam. In 2023, within a day after Typhoon Mawar passed, Guam General Manager George McNamara and his team, with help from Dallas HQ and the Yokota AB Exchange, had reopened retail stores to serve the Andersen Air Force Base community.