Despite the Guam Department of Education pushing back the start of its school year. The target date to get campuses cleaned up by August 9 is still a go. KUAM News was on-site with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collecting debris left behind from Typhoon Mawar at all 41 schools.

GDOE schools need the help to clean up. The mess left behind from the May typhoon are now piles of debris like construction materials to vegetation. The Guam National Guard activated to remove 5,000 cubic yards of debris from 35 of 41 schools. But the mission to students back in the classroom is far from over.

The COE started with their efforts at Southern High School this week, as Lieutenant Colonel Chelsey O’Nan, officer in charge on ground, explained, “We’re starting off the debris pick up here at the schools, really here in support of the Government of Guam and the governor herself. Just here to support as we clean up and help people get back to a little bit of normalcy after the typhoon, with big prioritization on the schools."

She added, “Under FEMA, the governor reached out for federal assistance. And under FEMA, we are working as one of those mission assignments to help with all the debris removal. But it’s a locally driven mission. We are 100% in support of Guam–and working with an ECC contractor and also an 8a which is also a local contractor, so we’re very involved with the local team here.”

It's a mission that involves only now scanning the storm aftermath at all 41 Guam DOE schools.

Todd Turner is the debris mission manager, and said, “So, they’ll do the veg first, then the C&D materials, and then the white goods. “

“Then that material–the C&D material will be going to Layon landfill, the white goods will be going to a local recycler, and the veg material will be going to a local TDMS site where it’ll be chipped.”

Additionally, residential debris pickups are also underway.