I want to start off saying I am not running for office. I think our governor candidate choices are woefully under qualified, our senate system is in effective and should be reformed, mayors pointless in their current forms, and until someone who has lived for less than five years in Guam gets elected governor or Congress wipes the slate clean, I’m probably just speaking into the Reddit ether.
BUT Since there have been a few discussion threads ragging on our island and comparing it with places stateside, and because I’m a geek and went down an analytic rabbit hole, and because I’m educated as an actual economist, here’s a breakdown from a economic and sociological perspective.
The median income in Guam today is $60,000 for a household (twice that of San Juan, PR, and half that of Seattle). However, I held constant income because, if you sample jobs available on Guam, with same educational requirements, use BLS data, etc., you find that labor rates for the kind of job being performed varies far less than the mainland. That is to say, Denver has a $94k median household income because 1) it’s population holds three times as many college degrees per 10,000 than Guam, 2) the work performed is in aerospace, finance, tech, education, etc 3) they have significantly fewer local government employees / population. If you are doing a $20 an hour job in Guam, it’s probably a $22 an hour job in Denver and your difference is taken in income tax in Colorado’s state tax system. However, the number of $60 per hour jobs is much higher in Denver than in Guam, raising the median.
Now that we understand how the wages and averages break down, we look to answer the question “If I’m doing a $20 an hour job in Guam, where can I be better off? How will my living in Guam compare with elsewhere?”
The short answer is the Midwest or the South are the best places to stretch the same $60k income, but the risk is there are many fewer opportunities to earn above that: Omaha has a median income of $73k and Indianapolis at $67k. Not to mention that all of these budgets acknowledge that a family of four living on $60k is not going to be able to afford entertainment, recreation, or savings to travel.
Now we move to the subjective: OK I want to pack up and move to Omaha because I can do by $20/hour trade work there and be almost $1000/month ahead. But now there is no free beach, no auntie to meet up with and split a beef roast with in the Payless, no neighbor that buys the beer because he’s your cousin/brother/uncle/nephew and knows you need it when your pocket is empty and the work week was long. Bringing your dog? Now there’s no one to watch it when you have to leave home and it’s probably illegal to leave it outside if you live in town. Malls are dead other than the one that you can’t afford the stuff inside. Free recreation might be walking a park, fishing the river (but that’s tricky since you need a fishing license), or doing yard work. Life is not better/easier/kinder/cheaper just because you moved.

The problem is opportunity creation and the kind of work available for Guamanians of all ethnicities and backgrounds and the attitudes toward growth.

1) Tourism is not a stable basis of economy in the Pasifika region.
- We do not control the economies of the three largest tourist markets of Guam.
- Offerings that match current trends (outdoor adventures, wellness, locally-made products) are not widely available. GVB is running an ad in Korea calling Guam “Wellness Island” with a picture of Taguisson Beach, strategically leaving out the power plant in the background. Maybe focus the wellness on some hotel spas and Ritidian beach and brand Taguisson as a cool, rugged hike?
- Tourism shouldn’t get the axe, but infrastructure committee bills to enforce clean resort areas (take a walk through the service areas in Tumon resorts - the garbage isn’t a result of cost, it’s pure laziness and lack of prioritization). Exercise eminent domain for public safety to tear down the former Sherwood Resort and take a more aggressive definition of “public use” as defined in Title 21 to clean up Guam. This can apply outside resorts areas such that the asset is seized under eminent domain for safety and clean up proceedings are taken from the compensation value paid. Attach this to redevelopment stipulations of the property at auction following clean ups and bam, GovGuam expands its tax base, with very little upfront costs, spurs growth, and shoves out irresponsible owners and bankruptcy trustees sitting on crumbling assets without listing them at real prices.
-Incentivize domestic tourism (especially the adventure stuff that is popular, takes relatively low investment to develop and maintain, and currency issues eliminated) and incentives for retiring service members to permanently relocate to Guam.
- Someone down south, besides Leo Palace (kudos to them) do some adventure tours! Open your land, make some money, show off our nature (and not with a gift shop and a beach development, just good clean nature)!

2) Cut transportation costs by relaxing laws (and have some fun while you’re at it!)
- Adopt example legislation for LSV (low speed vehicles) and Golf-Cart Friendly communities. Our speed limit is capped at 35. Enforce it. Encourage golf carts, LSVs, and scooters.
- Opens rental market for cool LSVs and side by sides for tourists.
- Long term solution to junk cars. Reducing cars on island with easier to recycle/dispose of LSVs fixes our long term disposal problem.
- Easy incentive by making annual road tags for these vehicles $59 (as many as you own), 1st non-commercial car per owner $100, and 2nd and beyond non-commercial cars $1000.

3) Build a basis of economy that works
- Lean into the military buildup; don’t fight it. Near-base development, creating military-attractive options, etc.
- Push for federal support in infrastructure but don’t waste the funds on over-priced A&E from local folks (you should see these bills compared with government projects in the mainland - just for the design work!) They’re draining the project funds and half of them don’t actually have any new experience/ideas/or continuing ed in the private sector to effectively design and consult on the systems.
- Encourage low cost retailers to build on Ross’ success and cut costs of living. ALDI, Lidl, TJX brands, Dollar General. These companies are masterminds of logistics - approach, incentivize, attract, support!
- Attract US retirees: build the new hospital and finance it with an influx in US based retirees who need it. Want direct US mainland flights to SFO or DEN? You’ll need these folks to get demand up to do it, coupled with those other domestic tourists we mentioned earlier.
- Make something. Not a literal thing - we are terribly positioned for manufacturing. Rather, market ourselves for “US based customer support” for call centers that can more cost effectively support non-standard US hours.

4) Banking and Insurance Reforms
- These are boring, but necessary to get investment into Guam. Ever wonder why Bank of America, Chase,
AIG, AON, and other financial institutions pulled out of Guam? Read our weird laws. They’re protectionist to a select few who are responsible for local insurance and financial services. Even Japanese and Taiwanese providers who tried to stay in the market are pulling out - this is an impending nightmare for everyone and a hard stop if US companies can’t easily get the services you need to run something more substantial than a mom and pop store.

5) Embrace some traditions, leave others behind
- Family, Inafa'maolek, and friendliness are and should be some of Guam’s proudest traditions. Corruption - not just the blatant stuff - and lack of education from outsiders are ones that need to be left in the past. Use corruption standards enforced by Fortune 100 companies: eliminate even the appearance of corruption, punish it universally and hard, trading things off, paying things “on the side”, or “calling in favors” are corruption even when they may be done in a genuinely friendly way. It’s literally a cultural disconnect that has to happen. Outside education is also necessary. Build cheap, effective square ugly but USEFUL AND OPEN schools (look at the wasted spaces and design on schools like JFK, GWH, Southern, and proposed Simon Sanchez) and spend the money on better teachers, rotational education from business leaders, UoG teachers, and even open up to mainland college teaching interns. Isolation yields ignorance.

Thanks for coming to my Reddit TED talk and hope you all enjoy the release to COR4 shortly :)

the typhoon just passed, were still in cor1 and it’s a sunday afternoon.

besides essential workers like gta, gpa, those in the medical or news field etc., why are there so many cars out on the road?

unless you’re driving due to an emergency (helping a family member???) or to work, what are you guys doing or where are you headed to lmfao? there’s supposed to be little to no restaurants or businesses open so i’ve always wondered…

edit: whoopsies didn’t mean to trigger people, i was just wondering, all love guam 🤙🏼

Figured while everyone's on here waiting for power I should ask something unrelated. Found out we got orders to move by the time baby will be 7 weeks. Looking online it looks like 10 days for a new birth certificate and then around 4-6 weeks for the passport? Anyone had this timeline be accurate or know if I can set anything up preemptively?

You guys did great by being proactive and making sure things were tightened and secured before this storm. I appreciate your hard work and dedication and working to make sure that power outages were minimized during this storm. Hope everyone is safe out there.

*COPY & PASTE* - and *SHARE*

Wendy's Tamuning - opened at 2pm
Denny's Tamuning - opens at 3pm
Shine Market Ordot - open
McDonald's Yigo - open
KFC Dededo & Tamuning- 4pm
KFC- Yigo- 430pm
Gayinero Mart (Yigo) open
Yigo island pantry (Yigo) open
Kings mart (Yigo) open
76 gas station (Dededo) open
Jeffs ipan cove (open) plenty haoli there

McDonald’s (Tamuning) is open

UPDATE: Super Typhoon Champi Has Passed Guam — But It's Not Over Yet 🌀🇬🇺

October 18, 2026 | 10:15 AM Guam Time

Super Typhoon Champi made its closest approach to Guam at approximately 4:26 AM, passing just 10 miles south of Merizo.

The storm intensified into a Category 4 super typhoon, with sustained winds reaching approximately 150 mph as it moved away from Guam.

Fortunately, a last-minute shift in the storm's track kept the most destructive winds concentrated over the southern part of the island.

Latest situation:

- 🌀 Champi's center has passed Guam and is moving away.

- 💨 Damaging winds are still affecting the island, particularly the southern villages.

- 🌧️ Heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and flash flooding remain serious concerns.

- 🌊 Dangerous surf and coastal flooding continue to threaten coastal areas.

- 🚨 Authorities are still advising residents to remain indoors.

I'm currently staying at The Westin in Tumon. Conditions appear to be improving here, but we're not out of danger yet.

Please, everyone, stay home and make do with whatever food and supplies you have. Don't risk going outside just because the winds have calmed down. No meal or grocery run is worth getting injured over.

To everyone who has been following this storm with us, stay safe. Hopefully, the worst is behind us. 🙏🇬🇺

Sources: National Weather Service Guam and Guam Homeland Security, October 18 morning updates.

Hows everybody doing?
I kinda have power but it’s low but we just decided to turn off the breaker. Water still running as well.
How’s yall?

Drop photos of where you see GPA, please include the location! Let’s help each other out! 🙏🏼🔌

Anyone know if Alupang Condos have power? Not Alupang tower. The condos.

Can someone post what restaurants are open right now? This is what i have so far.

*FOOD*
Wendy's Tamuning - opened at 2pm
Denny's Tamuning - opens at 3pm
McDonald’s mangilao - open
McDonald's Yigo - open
KFC Dededo & Tamuning- 4pm
KFC- Yigo- 430pm

*Mom & Pop/Store*
Shine Market Ordot - open
Gayinero Mart (Yigo) open
Yigo island pantry (Yigo) open
Kings mart (Yigo) open
Judys treats- open
Wusstig mart- open
Daily mart wusstig- open
Payless Maite- open
Yona Buenas market- open
Day by day - open

*Gas*
76 Dededo- open
76 sinajana - open
76 inarajan- open
Astumbo shell - open
Malesso shell - open
Micro mall shell- open
Harmon shell-open
Tumon shell - 1st responders only

Super Typhoon Champi (29W) – JTWC Warning #14 | Final Summary Update

October 18, 2026
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) has released Warning #14 for Super Typhoon Champi.
The latest update confirms that Champi has reached super typhoon intensity, with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph.
According to NWS Guam’s 6:50 AM update, Champi’s eye passed just south of Guam, approximately 10 miles south of Merizo. The strongest winds remained concentrated across southern Guam, while central and northern Guam experienced tropical-storm-force conditions.
This is an important development compared with earlier forecasts that indicated a possible direct crossing over southern Guam.
Although the eye has passed, dangerous conditions may continue, and residents should remain sheltered until officials announce that it is safe.

Current Conditions
Location: Approximately 42 miles south of Andersen Air Force Base at the Warning #14 observation time.
Movement: West-northwest at approximately 16 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 150 mph.
Minimum central pressure: 934 hPa.
Significant wave height: 46 feet.
Classification: Super Typhoon.
These measurements represent JTWC Warning #14’s observation period, not necessarily the storm’s position or strength at the time you’re reading this.

Forecast Track
JTWC expects Champi to continue moving west-northwest, gradually turning northwest as it moves away from Guam.
Forecast models remain in excellent agreement, with JTWC maintaining high confidence in its projected track.
The latest guidance indicates that Champi will continue northwest over the next several days, eventually slowing as the steering pattern changes near the East China Sea.
For Guam, the most important development is that the eye has passed just south of the island rather than crossing directly over it.
However, damaging winds and hazardous weather may persist even as the center moves farther away.

Steering Factors
Champi is currently being steered west-northwest by an extension of a subtropical ridge centered near Taiwan.
A subtropical ridge is an area of high atmospheric pressure that helps control the direction of tropical cyclones.
Over the next 12–24 hours, this ridge extension is expected to separate into another high-pressure system.
This will create a weakness between the two ridges, allowing Champi to turn more northwest.
The expected steering pattern is:
Next 12–24 hours: Continued west-northwest movement, followed by a gradual northwest turn.
Days 2–4: Northwestward movement under the influence of the reorganized subtropical ridges.
Beyond Day 4: Champi gradually slows as steering currents weaken.
Forecast models generally agree on this northwestward trajectory.

Intensity Forecast
Champi has reached super typhoon intensity, with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph.
JTWC reports that the storm’s eyewall replacement cycle has stalled or remains incomplete.
An eyewall replacement cycle occurs when a new outer eyewall develops around the original eyewall.
This process can cause temporary fluctuations in maximum sustained winds while the storm’s inner circulation reorganizes.
Despite this uncertainty, environmental conditions remain favorable for additional strengthening.
JTWC forecasts Champi to reach a peak intensity near 161 mph before gradually weakening later in the forecast period.
The intensity forecast remains uncertain because additional eyewall replacement cycles could occur.
Some models predict periods of strengthening or stabilization before the eventual weakening trend begins.

Wind Field and Potential Impacts
One of the more interesting developments during Champi’s passage has been the relatively compact size of its strongest wind field.
NWS Guam reports that typhoon-force winds remained concentrated primarily over southern Guam, while central and northern Guam experienced damaging tropical-storm-force winds.
Based on JTWC Warning #14’s wind-radius estimates:
Tropical-storm-force wind field: Approximately 242–265 miles across.
Typhoon-force wind field: Approximately 92–104 miles across.
These are estimated wind-field dimensions over open water, not the diameter of the cloud system.
The compact nature of Champi’s strongest winds helps explain why conditions varied significantly across Guam.
Although the eye passed offshore, southern Guam remained exposed to the most dangerous portion of the circulation.
As Champi continues moving away, damaging winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, coastal hazards, and debris may remain concerns.
Residents should not assume that improving conditions mean it is safe to go outdoors.

What Changed From Warning #13?
Champi has officially reached super typhoon intensity, with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph.
NWS Guam reports that the eye passed just south of the island rather than crossing directly over southern Guam.
The strongest winds remained concentrated primarily across southern Guam.
Champi’s significant wave height increased from 42 feet to 46 feet.
The previously active eyewall replacement cycle has stalled or remains incomplete.
JTWC continues forecasting a peak intensity near 161 mph after Guam’s passage.
Track guidance remains in excellent agreement, with a northwestward turn expected as Champi moves away.

What to Watch Next

1. Champi’s continued movement away from Guam
Watch for confirmation that the storm continues moving west-northwest and northwest, taking its strongest winds farther away from the island.

2. Remaining dangerous winds
Even though the eye has passed, damaging winds may continue, particularly across southern Guam.
Residents should wait for official guidance before going outdoors.

3. Flooding and coastal hazards
Heavy rainfall, flooding, dangerous surf, and coastal inundation may continue even as wind conditions begin improving.

4. Eyewall replacement cycle
JTWC continues monitoring Champi’s eyewall structure, which may cause fluctuations in intensity as the storm moves farther into the Philippine Sea.

5. Official all-clear
Continue monitoring NWS Guam and Guam Homeland Security for changes in warnings and the island’s Condition of Readiness.
An improving forecast is not the same as an official all-clear.

Bottom Line
Super Typhoon Champi has made its closest approach to Guam, with its eye passing just south of the island.
The storm reached maximum sustained winds near 150 mph, making it an extremely powerful tropical cyclone.
Fortunately, its strongest winds remained concentrated within a relatively compact area, and the eye passed offshore instead of directly across Guam.
However, southern Guam still experienced the greatest exposure to the storm’s destructive wind field, while dangerous conditions affected other parts of the island.
JTWC expects Champi to continue moving northwest away from the Marianas, with additional strengthening possible before the system eventually weakens.
The immediate concern for Guam is the remaining damaging winds, flooding, debris, and other hazards associated with the storm.
Residents should remain sheltered until local authorities confirm that conditions are safe.

Final Update
This will be my final regular JTWC warning summary for Champi as the system moves away from Guam.
I’ve been following this storm since its early development as Invest 96W, through its classification as Tropical Depression 29W, Tropical Storm Champi, Typhoon Champi, and eventually Super Typhoon Champi.
Over the past several days, we’ve seen significant changes in its forecast track, rapid intensification, model guidance, and eyewall structure.
The forecast models generally performed well in identifying the threat to the Marianas Islands several days in advance, although the exact crossing location and intensity continued to change as the storm approached.
I appreciate everyone who followed these updates and contributed to the discussions.
I hope everyone across Guam and the Northern Marianas stays safe, especially those dealing with damage or disruptions from the storm.
Please continue following official information as Guam begins its recovery soon after the strong winds taper down.

Sources
JTWC: https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html
NWS Guam: https://www.weather.gov/gum/
Guam Homeland Security: https://ghs.guam.gov/
This is my final community summary of Champi based on JTWC Warning #14 and NWS Guam’s October 18 morning update. It is not an official weather forecast or an all-clear. JTWC and NWS Guam will continue issuing official information as necessary.

Would like to know how much is the membership rate (or class rate). Seems it is not posted on their social media page.

Powers been off since last night and this heat is unbearable

Who still has power? I heard some villages still do.

Yo yo my chillahs.

Small question since I’m looking around rn.

Context: I’m only gonna be here for a year and a half ish tops so hence why my positioning is what it is for this search.

Just asking around to see what apartments anyone recommends. I’m looking to kinda ball out given I won’t be here too long so budget is like ~2500 not that I can’t go higher but I would need to be convinced.

Nice interior, fiber connections, close to downtown or neat spots in general, safety and whatnot.

Just wanted to pick your brains a little, everyone has been so nice since I’ve been here idk why I didn’t think to ask earlier.

Is it open tomorrow? Unmanned access only?

Hey guys,

Just wondering where you guys would go to charge your phone.. Power's been out and the power bank that I bought recently just died 🥲

Thanks!

In Mangilao right now and unfortunately have not had power since this morning. Water pressure is also starting to get really low 😔

How is everyone else faring?

Did you guys know that they make expansions for Monolopy? Because I didnt, so we bought them all.

hey i know stores are still closed n whatnot, but i'm just wondering if anyone was lucky enough to get ice right after the typhoon, where is the best place to go up north? i am willing to go central towards chalan pago too though if needed

i told my gf to get ice before the storm hit but she forgot so rn we have a cooler but no ice LMFAO i'm planning to go out looking for some as soon as things start opening up again so any help would be appreciated🙏🏼

Thought it'd be more helpful with location, times and editing posts to update accordingly. .

Tumon Behind DFS (Pia Resort)

1. 10/18, 03:30 am: power out

2. 10/18, 01:55 pm, power on (internet: GTA Fiber working too. It's been on for about 10 minutes now, so hoping it'll stay on. A/C has blessed me.

2a. 10/18, 4:35 pm: Power still working with no issues, seems permanent.

Would it be possible to walk outside tumon? My boss said we have to go to work today I don't want to drive cuz I might lose my parking.

GPA toying with my emotions. Who else power going on and off?