Damage in Hagåtña after the 1940 Typhoon
The worst typhoon to hit Guam since 1900 came to the island on November 3, 1940, just a year before the war. Winds got up to around 150 miles per hour, at a time when most of the island's homes were made of wood, tin or thatched roofs. Damages were estimated at $1.6 million in 1940 values.
The typhoon destroyed so much of the vegetation on the island that the cattle didn't have enough to eat. So, rather than see their cows die a slow death by starvation, many cattle owners butchered their cows and ate the meat.
In 1930, there were around 7000 head of cattle on Guam. Eleven years later, in 1941, there should have been more, but in fact there were only around 6000 head of cattle due to the killing of large numbers of cattle after the 1940 typhoon.
As an aside, notice how the U.S. newspaper makes sure to mention that all the "Americans" were safe and sound. The 20,000 Chamorros of Guam, at the time, were not American.
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