Guam Red Cross

REMINDER: Applications for Red Cross financial assistance must be submitted by TODAY, JUNE 1!

Zoey King is known on Tinian for her fiery don’ne sali, blending family traditions from the Philippines with local peppers that grow throughout the island. But beyond the kitchen, she’s built a reputation for something else: showing up when disaster strikes.

“I have my own process of making it. I learned from my mom and my mother-in-law as well, so I kind of combined what I learned,” said Zoey. “I didn’t know at first if it’s gonna work, but it did! Some people like the way I do it, but some are kinda like, it’s very hot.”

After responding locally following Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018, Zoey’s experience and confidence grew over the years. In September 2024, she found herself watching a destructive storm halfway across the world in western North Carolina — damage that was all too familiar. Traveling to North Carolina would mean leaving home, and pushing past years of social anxiety, but she saw it as a chance to give back and to continue growing. With the encouragement of her husband, Zoey soon found herself nearly 8,000 miles away — the furthest she’d ever been from home — helping people start to recover after Hurricane Helene swept their homes away, just as she saw firsthand back home in Tinian.

After three weeks in Asheville, NC, Zoey returned home to Tinian, where she works as a school aide and raises her family. When Sinlaku struck two years later, she chose to shelter in place at home to help protect the 15 dogs under her care.

"I was laying down in our room, and out of nowhere I heard this loud bang, like something was uprooted or something and fell onto the ground. Unfortunately, it was our outside kitchen connected to our bedroom,” said Zoey. “So that’s when I found out the entire roof was gone, because water started pouring. I said, oh shoot, we lost our roof already. And then it intensifies after that.”

Water came in nonstop from all directions, and Zoey’s family frantically scooped water from their home as the storm passed through. As Zoey helped take care of her family and secured their home as best they could against weather and malintentioned passersby, she saw that her community needed help. She reached out to her mentor at the Red Cross and, a week after the storm hit, she was back volunteering to help tens of thousands of people in her community recover after the disaster.

Among the more than 600 Red Cross responders who came to help after Sinlaku was a woman who had unknowingly crossed paths with Zoey two years earlier, halfway around the world.

Lisa Phinney has always felt at home in western North Carolina, although she has lived a life that carries her to places all over the world. When Helene struck her home in Boone, NC, Lisa was volunteering with the Red Cross in New Mexico. After flying home two days earlier than originally scheduled, she jumped right back into action to help her neighbors through the disaster in her own backyard.

“My home was fine, I had a landslide below my house that took out power to well, everyone in my neighborhood,” said Lisa, who was without power for 10 days. “I stopped at my house for one day, I repacked my bag and I went and checked on the shelter in Boone and made sure they were doing okay.”

As someone who has responded to many major disasters with the Red Cross, Lisa is no stranger to meeting fellow volunteers who have helped on the same operations as her. Still, Lisa couldn’t help but smile when Zoey saw the North Carolina region on her name badge and shared that she also helped respond to Helene.

"It was really cool, I mean she’s from a small island in the middle of the Pacific and yet she went all the way to North Carolina for this opportunity to help,” said Lisa. “So she helped my area, and now coincidentally I’m here helping hers. It’s just kind of a neat full circle moment.”

For her part, Zoey also appreciated the symmetry of the moment. From a small island in the Pacific to the mountains of North Carolina, their paths had crossed without them knowing.

"The majority of my deployments are here in the CNMI, and Guam as well. Actually, North Carolina is my first time in the U.S.,” said Zoey. “It’s good to know that another person from that region is actually returning the favor, you know? Lisa is here right now, and that’s just nice to see — another person from where I was, helping my community.”

Though Lisa is intimidated by the fiery hotness of Zoey’s don'ne sali, she is no stranger to spicy foods. As a fellow lover of cooking, Lisa is perhaps most proud of her buffalo chicken soup. They may trade recipes instead of disasters next time, but the bond remains strong: showing up when it matters most.

Protect your health and your home after flooding by taking the right steps to safely clean up mold. Mold can begin growing within 24 to 48 hours, so acting quickly is important to prevent further damage and reduce health risks.

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation encourages our community to follow these 8 safety tips when cleaning mold-affected areas:

✔️ Wear protective gear
✔️ Remove water-damaged items
✔️ Keep spaces ventilated
✔️ Use fans and dehumidifiers safely
✔️ Never mix cleaning chemicals
✔️ Scrub and dry surfaces thoroughly
✔️ Fix moisture problems completely
✔️ Dry your home as quickly as possible

Stay safe, protect your family, and take precautions during cleanup efforts. For more information and resources, visit the CDC guidance on mold cleanup.

Weekly Regional Weather Outlook
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Valid at 10:45 AM ChST

REGIONAL OVERVIEW:

Moderate to fresh trades prevail across the Marianas with a mix of sun and spotty showers. A developing disturbance near Yap, Invest 99W, will keep well southwest and west of the Marianas. However, steady trades converging into the eastern periphery of the broader wind field around 99W will keep a showery pattern in place across the Marianas this week. Combined seas of 3 to 5 feet will build to around 6 to 8 feet by the end of the week as a long-period north swell, and southwest swell reach the Marianas.

A wet pattern will prevail this week across Yap and Palau as Invest 99W takes shape nearby. 99W will lift north-northwest over Yap into the Philippine Sea by Wednesday. As it does, it’ll pull the showery monsoon over both locations, keeping strong, gusty southwest to west winds, showers, thunderstorms and choppy seas in place through the week. A Special Weather Statement has been issued for western Micronesia to provide more details.

Farther east, variable winds and a few showers are found near Chuuk, while the ITCZ is generating showers and thunderstorms near Pohnpei and Kosrae. Drier weather prevails near and north of Majuro. Significant weather is not expected across the eastern region through the weekend, but passing surface troughs will bring periods of scattered showers. Otherwise, expect light to moderate winds and combined seas of 4 to 6 feet across Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae, and moderate trades with seas up to 7 feet across Majuro.

TC POTENTIAL/HAZARDS:

A tropical disturbance, Invest 99W, tracked slowly westward across Yap State the last several days. Now located near 8.4N 138.8E, it has been upgraded to medium for development by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. This means that tropical cyclone (TC) development is likely, but beyond 24 hours. In other words, 99W is likely to be upgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday.

99W will move toward the NNW into the Philippine Sea as it continues to develop. Showers, thunderstorms, locally heavy rainfall and gusty west to southwest winds will encompass much of the region the next few days south of 99W, the associated trough and a second circulation to the west. This will include Palau and Yap State. 99W does not pose a threat to Guam or the CNMI, and will keep well to the west.

Elsewhere across the NWS Guam AOR, there are no suspect areas for TC development through the weekend.

DROUGHT OUTLOOK:

No drought concerns at this time. Regional rainfall patterns remain sufficient to meet needs. However, a drier trend will take shape across western Micronesia the next few weeks into at least mid-June, with below-normal rainfall anticipated for islands across Palau and Yap State. Expect near-normal rainfall elsewhere.

TROPICAL DISTURBANCE VS TROPICAL CYCLONE:

A tropical disturbance is an area of disturbed weather, such as a broad area of showers, thunderstorms, and gusty winds with some degree of organization. It may or may not have a closed circulation and it may or may not develop. On a weather map, it is labeled with a number between 90 and 99, and followed by "W", denoted the western North Pacific basin.

A tropical cyclone is a term that includes tropical depressions, tropical storms, typhoons (or hurricanes/cyclones, depending on the ocean basin) and super typhoons. All tropical cyclones begin as a disturbance, but not all disturbances become tropical cyclones. Once upgraded from a tropical disturbance, tropical cyclones receive a new number. In our present case, if Invest 99W becomes a tropical depression, it'll be assigned the number "06W", indicating it is the 6th tropical cyclone in 2026. The "W" denotes the western North Pacific basin.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

NWS Guam:
weather.gov/gum

Climate Prediction Center
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

Joint Typhoon Warning Center
www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html

This Memorial Day, we honor those who gave their lives in service to our nation. Here on Guam, that sacrifice is deeply personal.

After Super Typhoon Sinlaku, we saw those same values — service, courage, and compassion — through hundreds of volunteers and partners standing together to help neighbors in need.

Today, we remember the fallen and support their families. We carry their legacy forward by caring for one another and strengthening our communities.

Together, we remain resilient.

On Guam, helping one another isn’t just something we do — it’s who we are. The Paz family embodies that spirit, showing how service, compassion, and resilience are passed down from one generation to the next.

As Typhoon Sinlaku impacts our island community, the family is once again stepping up, ready to support neighbors in need with open hearts and steady hands.

Ellery Paz, a Community Engagement & Partnerships volunteer, is on the ground supporting disaster response efforts. A teacher in the Guam school system, Ellery knows this island well. Like so many on Guam, he’s no stranger to storms, having also supported relief efforts following Typhoon Mawar in 2023. His commitment to service reflects a deep love for the place he calls home.

Standing alongside him is his wife, Genelyn, who serves on the Red Cross Disaster Health Services team. A Physician Associate, Genelyn brings insights to her volunteer disaster response team. Her Red Cross journey began in 2008 while she was on active duty in South Korea, and over the years she has worn many volunteer hats — from serving on the Disaster Action Team to help neighbors after home fires, to training CPR instructors, to supporting feeding teams in shelters. Wherever there’s a need, Genelyn is there.

Service truly runs in the family. Their two sons have grown up seeing what it means to give back, and they’ve followed that example in their own ways. Fifteen-year-old Narciso is a Red Cross youth volunteer, CPR-trained, and a familiar face at Red Cross events across the island. His brother, Nathan, also gives back by volunteering with the Disaster Health Services team, continuing the family’s tradition of service.

In a close-knit community like Guam, families like the Paz family remind us that resilience is built together — and that caring for one another is at the heart of island life. Together, they exemplify what it truly means to serve with heart.

***UPDATED MAY 27***

The Red Cross financial assistance program is intended to provide financial assistance to households who experienced significant damage to their homes.

If your home received damage and you have not already submitted your application for financial assistance, please visit a service delivery site near you this week!

PLEASE NOTE: Applications for financial assistance can be submitted before all documents have been secured, and Red Cross caseworkers will continue to work with applicants after the June 1 application deadline to resolve any missing documentation.

To apply for financial assistance or for questions, please visit our Red Cross chapter office:

American Red Cross
Guam Chapter House
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (by appointment only)
Location: Route 4, Building 285, Hagatna, Guam 96910
Phone: (571) 242-1829

🏠🚨 Fire safety starts at home, and our Guam community continues to step up to help protect lives!

Red Cross volunteers recently completed Home Fire Campaign smoke alarm installations in Yona, Asan, Santa Rita and Mangilao, helping families increase home fire safety and preparedness.

Through their dedication:
• 43 smoke alarms installed
• 12 homes made safer
• 50 people made safer

Si Yu'os ma'åse' to our incredible volunteers: Ryan Johnson, JD Tenorio, Connor Anthony, Sebastiano Garofalo, Anthony Nail, Vinay Pothen, Jasmine Venitha Premkymar and Ashley Williams, for serving our neighbors with compassion and heart. 🌺👏

Together, we continue to build a safer, stronger and more prepared Guam. ❤️

Håfa Adai Friday. 🌺

As we head into the weekend, we’re reminded that community is built through service, compassion and showing up for one another. Volunteering is one way we turn care into action — offering hope, support and strength when it’s needed most.

This Håfa Adai Friday, thank you to everyone who gives their time and heart to help their community thrive. Join us today! redcross.org/volunteer