Guam remains under Condition of Readiness 1, the highest typhoon alert, as Typhoon Champi intensifies far beyond earlier forecasts. The storm strengthened rapidly from a tropical storm to a Category 4 typhoon.
Residents have been ordered to stay indoors until authorities declare Condition of Readiness 4, signaling that the immediate danger has passed. The Guam Joint Information Center said Champi is expected to pass just south of or over southern Guam late Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
The US National Weather Service has warned of sustained winds of 140mph (about 225km/h), with life-threatening coastal flooding anticipated. Authorities have urged residents in southern coastal and flood-prone communities to evacuate to safer locations.
Six emergency evacuation centres have been opened across Guam, and more than 730 residents had sought shelter as of 5pm Saturday. Astumbo Elementary School was at 86 percent capacity, accommodating 247 people, while Machananao Elementary School housed 216 evacuees.
US President Donald Trump on Friday declared an emergency for Guam, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts. The Guam Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense has been activated.
The typhoon, named after a mythical sea creature in Chamorro lore, was initially expected to threaten the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), but forecast models shifted its track further south, meaning Saipan and Tinian are no longer expected to experience damaging winds.
Guam is no stranger to powerful storms. In May 2023, Typhoon Mawar hit as a Category 4, devastating the island. In 2018, Super Typhoon Yutu, equivalent to a Category 5, crossed Saipan and Tinian, killing two people and destroying hundreds of homes.