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brought powerful winds and heavy rain to the US territory.

The strongest storm to impact Guam in decades, Mawar pelted the entire 30-mile-wide island with hurricane-force winds.

The Guam International Airport recorded sustained winds of 71 mph with a gust of 105 mph Wednesday evening. An extreme wind warning was in effect for the northern part of Guam until 10:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. ET) for winds that could create tornado-like damage.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) downgraded “Mawar” to a typhoon after initially categorizing it as a super typhoon.

It said it could remain a typhoon for the next 12 hours before intensifying again into a super typhoon.

Once “Mawar” enters the PAR, it will be given the local name of “Betty,” the state weather bureau said.

PAGASA said the western portions of MIMAROPA, Visayas, and Mindanao are expected to be hit by enhanced monsoon rains, as will the western portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas from Sunday onward.

Government agencies are now implementing measures based on emergency preparedness and response protocols of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) which include the dissemination of warnings, and the preparation of relief assistance for distribution and rescue teams for deployment.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said a total of 797,051 family food packs (FFP) worth P565.78 million have been stockpiled in its regional offices.

There are also 110,667 FFPs available in disaster response centers in Metro Manila and the Visayas.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) directed all its regional directors to coordinate with their respective regional disaster risk reduction and management councils and to remind all local government units to prepare for the coming storm.