Super Typhoon Bavi hit the Mariana Islands on Monday with winds reaching 180 mph on Rota. The storm follows another major typhoon that struck the region in April. Residents are dealing with renewed power outages and damage just weeks into the typhoon season.
Bavi made landfall on Rota with 180 mph winds. Neighboring Guam and Saipan experienced winds over 100 mph. Local officials had warned residents days earlier to secure temporary shelters after the previous storm.
Miguel Dandan, a public information officer for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, noted that tents distributed after the April typhoon were not designed for stronger storms. Rota resident Peter James Meskin described appliances and trees being lifted by the winds.
Zeno Camacho Deleon Guerrero Jr., a Saipan resident, reported mopping water from windows during the storm. He said many families remain without reliable power and water after the earlier event.
Kristina Dahl of Climate Central linked the storm intensity to warmer ocean temperatures influenced by climate change. No deaths have been confirmed from Bavi so far.
