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A devastating super typhoon slammed the Northern Mariana Islands starting late Wednesday, destroying more than 100 homes in what meteorologists said the United States this year.
The Northern Mariana Islands, a United States commonwealth in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Guam, include Saipan, Tinian and Rota. They are home to more than 52,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Saipan.
The eye of the storm, called Yutu, passed directly over Tinian around 2 pm local time on Thursday – the islands are 14 hours ahead of the East Coast – with wind speeds reaching 180 m.p.h. or more, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.
Edwin K. Propst, a representative in the commonwealth's legislature, said he spent a few days in the city of Saipan. "Last night, it was like a freight train and a 747 were racing, and you're right in between," he said in a phone interview on Thursday.
As the storm ripped the shutters off his home and broke windows, he eventually retreated into a back room. But after sunrise, he ventured out to survey the damage.
"I visited several constituents who lost it all," he said. "Their homes, their valuables, their prized possessions."
On Thursday morning, typhoon warnings were still in effect. About Tinian, Brandon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said in a phone call from Guam. He added that in Saipan, there were reports of collapsed roofs, fallen power lines and decimated trees.
"I would say this is catastrophic damage," Mr. Aydlett said, adding that there had been many requests for emergency shelter and medical care but he did not have any information about the injuries or fatalities.
Melanie Castro, 29, said the power went out on Wednesday afternoon in the West Side of Micro Beach on the western side of Saipan. She stayed awake all night as the storm swept through.
"We could not sleep because of the noise outside," she said. "The wind was shouting. We were just hiding and praying. "
On Thursday morning, she went to the restaurant where she works as a waitress. She saw extensive damage and flooding, and she did not know when the business will reopen. But at least the roof was mostly intact, she said – the restaurant next door had its roof torn off.
On Wednesday, President Trump in the Northern Mariana Islands and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin disaster relief efforts.
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, the commonwealth's delegate in the House of Representatives, in a series of posts on Twitter. He added that these were closed, many flights were canceled, several shelters were filled, and some health care facilities had been damaged. He warned residents to stay indoors if possible.
The storm is now moving northwest, away from the islands, but residents should still watch out for a sudden blow up, Mr. Aydlett said, adding that the recovery period of the wind be long.
"Most people we've talked to," he said. "I think that will be a future that will be compared to."
Mr. Propst said he did not see the weather this week and would not be surprised if electricity did not return to Saipan for months. "We really need help," he said. "Our island has been flattened. It's one of the worst typhoons we've seen in a very, very long time. "
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