Downpour doesn't put damper on World War II survivor's resiliency

The rain is picking up amid tropical storm conditions but the bad weather isn’t putting a damper on this World War II survivor.

For the past nine decades, Noel Cruz from the village of Yigo soldiered through his fair share of devastating typhoons like Karen, Pamela, Omar, Paka and most recently Mawar.

“I’m used to it. Not the tropical [disturbance] but strong typhoons, since before the war, during the war and now,” said Cruz.

The sun may not be out, but his resiliency shines through.

Though he is worried about his papaya trees as one is already falling as the winds pick up Tuesday afternoon.

“There’s two of them right there and one went down. So I don’t know about this one, by tomorrow, if it’s going to go down. But well, that’s normal for Guam,” Cruz added.

Thankfully Cruz's home is not in a flood prone area, but the northern village historically gets severely flooded during heavy rainfall.

One Yigo resident told KUAM when the floods hit his area, the water rises up to three feet. That’s why the Yigo Mayor’s Office is distributing sand bags to any residents who may need them.

Tommy Castro with the Yigo Mayor’s Office said he’s not sure if the flooding will get as bad as previous storms, but it’s best to be prepared.

“We will be making sandbags so if any residents out there feel like their house will be flooded during this storm, feel free to call the mayor's office and we will deliver it to the residents,” said Tommy.

By 3 p.m. Tuesday, the Governor declared the island to be in condition of readiness three, which means damaging winds may arrive within 48 hours.

People throughout the central part of the island are already experiencing power outages throughout the day.

KUAM also saw a downed power line on Hamburger Road in Harmon.

The community is advised to clear loose debris around the yard and store any items that may become airborne with heavy winds, like canopies, tarps and trampolines.

As for Cruz, he said his grandson from the National Guard is helping him out to do just that, making sure his remaining papaya tree stands strong.

“The weather just comes as it comes, the way it wants to,” he added.