WAPA AWARDED FOR COMMITMENT TO PRESERVATION
At the Annual George Wright Conference, it was announced that WAPA was the recipient of the Pacific West Region's Regional Director's Resource Management Award. This award was presented to the WAPA staff for "protection of Cultural Resources Impacted by Typhoon Pongsona" (For complete story see Museum Collection Evacuated story).
On December 8th, 2002, 58 years to the day after the Japanese began bombing the island of Guam, this tropical island was engulfed by the destructive forces of Supertyphoon Pongsona. As a result of the 150 mph winds which battered the island for almost 12 hours and the crashing seas which lashed the structural pillars of the buildings foundation, WAPA's museum, administrative offices, and contact facility were consequently destroyed
Thinking soundly and acting quickly, the WAPA staff pulled together in an amazing display of teamwork and worked for almost 3 weeks without rest to successfully evacuate the museum collection, the historical documents and photos pertinent to WAPA's administrative history, and the research library which contained many rare, out of print, historical, and impossible to replace texts, videos, and maps.
In recognition of WAPA's efforts, commitment, and dedication to protecting the museum collection from certain degradation in the humid, 90 degree temperatures, they were awarded with the Regional Director’s Resource Management award.
WAPA is proud to have earned this award and is appreciative of this commendation and recognition. WAPA thanks all who made it possible and all those who have since helped us in our recovery process.
