A devastating super typhoon wreaked havoc across US Pacific territories, overturning vehicles and destroying rooftops while leaving thousands without electricity. Remarkably, officials report no fatalities despite the storm’s tremendous destructive power.
Emergency officials have begun evaluating the extensive destruction caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which struck the Northern Mariana Islands on Tuesday evening local time and continued battering the region with powerful winds and heavy rainfall throughout Wednesday.
Electrical service remained down and numerous roadways became blocked throughout Saipan, the largest island in the Mariana chain and a US territory housing approximately 43,000 residents, local authorities confirmed.
Guam, home to multiple American military installations and another US territory, also experienced significant impact from the storm’s tropical-force winds.
According to the National Weather Service, this typhoon represents 2024’s most powerful tropical cyclone globally, bringing sustained winds reaching 150 mph when it struck the islands.
As the massive storm moved northward away from Saipan, Tinian and Rota late Wednesday evening, it maintained winds of 125 mph, meteorologists reported. Forecasters predict Sinlaku will curve toward the sparsely inhabited volcanic islands in the northern Marianas region.
“It was still very windy and rainy roughly 24 hours after the typhoon rattled the islands, but much better than the previous night,” stated Jaden Sanchez, who speaks for the Saipan mayor’s office.
“Preliminary reports include a lot of flooding, uprooted trees and downed power lines, but no deaths,” Sanchez explained.
Photographs from Saipan revealed residential areas covered in wreckage and twisted trees. The fierce winds demolished metal stadium seating at an athletic facility.
Local resident Dong Min Lee captured footage showing one automobile stacked atop two others in his apartment complex parking area. The storm winds also damaged portions of his balcony guardrail.
Emergency shelter operations by the American Red Cross and partner organizations housed more than 1,000 people throughout Guam and the Northern Marianas, according to agency representative Stephanie Fox.
