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Super Typhoon Bavi, packing winds of up to 290 kilometres per hour (180 mph), battered the US Pacific territories of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam on Monday, with authorities reporting “major” damage on the island of Rota.
The US National Weather Service (NWS) said the entire island of Rota, home to around 1,500 people, was engulfed by the eye of the Category 5-equivalent storm before it slowly moved westward.
Officials reported severe flooding, widespread damage and disruptions to communications after a cellphone tower collapsed.
“We are hanging in there. We are experiencing heavy winds and flooding here,” said Lou Rosario, a spokesperson for the Rota Municipal Operations Center. “Some people are already reporting major damages.”
The NWS warned that parts of Rota could remain uninhabitable for weeks due to extensive destruction and prolonged power outages.
Neighbouring islands, including Tinian, parts of Guam and southern Saipan, also experienced hurricane-force winds.
Authorities urged residents to remain indoors, warning that conditions remained “extremely dangerous and life-threatening.”
Hundreds of residents sought shelter in hotels and evacuation centres as torrential rain and powerful winds swept across the region, which is still recovering from previous typhoons.
Scientists have warned that warmer ocean temperatures and the emerging El Niño weather pattern could contribute to a more active and intense tropical storm season in the Pacific.
