When The Media Is A Disaster Victim. How One Small Paper Kept The World Informed
Release Date: March 25, 2003
Release Number: HQ-03-Media
» More Information on Guam Super Typhoon Pongsona
» Disaster Preparedness Tips From The Pacific Daily News
When disaster strikes, news outlets sometimes escape unscathed. Sometimes they don't. But when the media become disaster victims, the public loses its source of emergency information. Fortunately for those living on Guam, the news media there has learned the lessons of previous typhoons. They know that preparedness pays offfor everyone.
When Super Typhoon Pongsona finally came ashore on the island of Guam last December 8th, most communication with the outside world stopped. But the Pacific Daily News (PDN), the island's only daily paper, had done its homework and put out the paper despite the horrific winds and rains that battered the island.
With power and telephone lines down, television and radio were off the air. Even when they got power back, most of their listening audience remained in the dark. But PDN didn't miss a day. The only place families, friends, and the world at large could learn what the storm had wrought was the Pacific Daily News (PDN) morning edition and its Web site.
Advance planning saved the day for everyone. As sustained winds of over 150 mph toppled power lines, blew out windows and doors, and tossed roofs aside, the paper's building stood strong. The shutters and other reinforcements installed after previous storms did their job.
Dedicated staff worked round the clock to get the paper out. With two back up generatorsone for paper and one for building-- and emergency supplies, the paper kept going while the rest of the island went dark.
Working in a dim newsroom, with one computer and a skeleton crew, PDN staff put the December 9 issue on the Web and on the street by morning. Over the next few days, the paper became the primary printed source of disaster information for the island's 150,000 plus residents. Its Web site, whose server in Virginia was safe and sound, became the focus for families overseas concerned about their loved ones. Visits to the site jumped from the pre-storm 40,000 hits a day to more than 350,000.
As the most westerly U.S. territory, Guam is a critical component in the nation's Pacific presence. Information on the well being of the island and its inhabitants was of concern to many people, both here and off island.
PREPAREDNESS
Pongsona stalled over Guam for 12 long hours, but good planning and past experience allowed PDN to keep functioning throughout the storm. From the storm's first hours-- and for many days thereafter--the paper's building became work, home and shelter to those gathered inside, including some staff's families whose homes had been badly damaged or destroyed.
The paper had been tracking the monster storm since it had first appeared in the central Pacific days earlier. Three days before the typhoon was expected to hit Guam, serious preparations got underway.
"We told everyone to gas up ahead of time," said Managing Editor Rindraty Celes Limtiaco. "We brought in food to last at least 12 hours and did whatever we could ahead of time so people could go home before it hit."
The paper gave out emergency supplies to staff, including FixAFlat, a precaution against likely tire damage from debris covering the streets.
The paper's generator was up and running once the power went down, fueled by a large underground diesel tank installed after a previous typhoon. And the paper had brought in enough water to tide them over, since these storms frequently disrupt the water supply.
The night of the typhoon, core staff included two reporters stationed at two other locales on the island, staff in the newsroom, and Limtiaco herself, who would remain there until later the next morning. Staff knew the paper might be the only source of information for several days until power was restored and the roads were open.
"It was clear to us what our priorities were," Limtiaco noted. "We had to let people know where they could go for shelter and assistance, and how much damage the storm had done."
Despite careful planning, the paper could not avoid the storm's rage altogether. Shortly after midnight on December 9, at the storm's peak, the building's generator died. With only less than an hour of battery power and the paper's remaining back-up generator, staff put the paper to bed. They up linked it to the Gannett server for the Web, and sent it downstairs to be printed. The Pacific Daily News did not miss its deadlineand the paper got out on time.
DISTRIBUTION OF VITAL INFORMATION
With many roads impassable, and gas stations without gas or power to pump, PDN had to cancel home deliveries for a few days. Instead, they hired local buses to deliver the paper to central locations, such as shelters and community centers, where typhoon victims could find out where to get help.
"It was a huge commitment," Limtiaco admits, "but it was something we knew we had to do. Our advertising sales took a serious hit, but it was more important to do what we were doing."
WEBSITE
When families and friends tried to get in touch with people in Guam, they quickly learned how bad things were. Word got around that the PDN Web site was the best place to get updated information. When they clicked on news@guampdn.com, there were invited to contact the paper through email for information on family and friends.
For many, that site became the only link with their loved ones.
PDN kept the site updated with current information on the storm's progress, damages, and available services.They set up a system to answer emails from concerned relatives, becoming the clearinghouse on the island's welfare. Fortunately, there was only one death as a result of the typhoon.
A PDN photographer shot pictures as the hurricane "peeled slabs of concrete off buildings, scraped paint off walls, crumpled paved roads, snapped steel-reinforced concrete power poles, flattened homes and left a mess of mangled tin and other debris all over the island." [1]
With power down, even the U.S. Weather Service and the FAA relied on PDN's Web site for information. Letters of thanks arrived from the Federal Communications Commission and from Guamanians living off island trying to contact relatives.
"Living far from home, I have to commend the Pacific Daily News, most especially during times like these...it becomes the only link for those of us so far away," wrote one grateful family member.
No one knows for sure how many other Web sites set up links to PDN, but there's no doubt the paper's daily updates were seen by millions.
The paper's extraordinary efforts - and those of all of Guam's media outlets -- did not go unnoticed by federal officials charged with assisting disaster victims.
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency must commend Pacific Daily News as well as the radio and television stations for the outstanding manner in which they have served disaster affected communities and victims following Super Typhoon Pongsona," said David Fukutomi, FEMA's federal coordinating officer. "PDN has provided an invaluable information link between the federal disaster response and recovery agencies and the public we serve."
Years ago, some said radio and television would make newspapers obsolete. Clearly the years have proven them wrong. All three have a vital role to play when disaster strikes. Without PDN and the island's radio and TV stations, preparing for and recovering from Super Typhoon Pongsona might have been a different story for Guam residents. Careful planning, advance preparations, and dedication to serving the island and the world at large clearly made a difference.
[1] Pacific Daily News Website, www.guampdn.com
Last Modified: Friday, 28-Mar-2003 08:29:27