By Pacific Island Times News Staff Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are under a state of emergency following separate declarations by the territorial governors as the islands prepare for Tropical Storm Champi, which is forecast to intensify into a Category 2 or 3 typhoon likely to directly hit Guam. "This could be our biggest typhoon strike since Typhoon Mawar," said Landon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "The winds we anticipate for Guam will

Tropical Depression 29W has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Champi, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and is expected to continue intensifying into a typhoon before passing through the Marianas.

By Pacific Island Times News Staff The 38th Guam Legislature today passed an emergency bill appropriating $12 million in pre-landfall funding to assist with storm preparation, response and recovery efforts in anticipation of Tropical Depression 29W, which the weather office said might have the same strength as Typhoon Mawar. Bill 371-38, authored by Sen. Telo Taitague, taps Guam's Rainy Day Fund to help government agencies, village mayors and emergency shelters prepare for