A mother and daughter lost more than just a roof over their heads.

Long-time Dededo resident Julie Gogue and her mother, Doris, sat in their car, packed with what’s left of their belongings after their home was made unlivable by Typhoon Mawar. The roof blew away, the inside flooded and items scattered all around their property. 

The home was more than just a place for them to live in. It's the last tangible connection to the family patriarch Bennie Gogue who built it. He passed away two years ago. Shortly after he died, Gogue came back to Guam from Oregon to be by her mother's side.

The family continues to mourn his death. Gogue and some of her siblings even got tattoos in remembrance of him. Her tattoo had words written in cursive, surrounded birds read, "Your wings were ready but my heart was not."

Although they are currently staying with Gogue’s sister-in-law’s three-bedroom home, Gogue and her mother, who is also disabled, are asking the public for any assistance.

Doris Gogue shares with KUAM that The American Red Cross and FEMA did not assist them during the last typhoon that hit Guam. That was in 2018.

"All they did was just take pictures and that's it," she said.

She worries that the same will happen as they try to recover.

For now, they wait, hoping that FEMA will pass by so they can assess the damages and help in possibly rebuilding their home.