Saipan— A woman was killed during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yutu and some others sustained minor injuries caused by projectiles brought by the Category 5 cyclone’s destructive sustained winds that reached 180 miles per hour.
Yutu barreled through the CNMI Wednesday night and continued wreaking havoc early Thursday morning leaving a trail of destruction and panic to some.
The saddest news is the confirmed death of a 44-year-old woman who sought shelter in an abandoned building that collapsed on her in Chalan Kanoa. No other details of the woman’s identity were released while the CNMI and its federal partners are focused on recovery and relief efforts especially to the individuals badly affected by what could be the worst storm system that hit the Marianas.
Super Typhoon Yutu left Saipan in shambles when it made a landfall early Thursday morning. Photos by Jonathan Perez
More than three years since Typhoon Soudelor leveled the island of Saipan, residents of the island again battled and experienced tornado like winds this time brought by Yutu. Soudelor devastated Saipan on Aug. 2, 2015 and this time Oct. 24, 2018 will also be remembered in the CNMI’s history as the day that the islands were once again swept by a destructive force of nature. This also comes more than a month after the CNMI’s southern island of Rota was ravaged by Typhoon Mangkhut.
As the morning sun rose Thursday, island residents of Saipan and the nearby island of Tinian—who only slept a few hours for fear of losing their lives — were greeted with fallen decades-old trees, downed concrete and wooden power poles, damaged houses and other properties, and the once lush greenery stripped once again.
Streets were littered with tin roofing that flew off from houses, power transformers, power cables, wood and other debris either from houses or nearby commercial establishments. There were also reported looting in several stores and warehouses but was immediately stopped by personnel of the said businesses.