Super Typhoon Sinlaku Devastates Northern Marianas, Spares Lives

Super Typhoon Sinlaku, the planet's most powerful storm this year, tore across the Northern Mariana Islands this week, leaving a trail of wreckage but, remarkably, no reported fatalities. The typhoon made landfall Tuesday night, subjecting the U.S. territory to hours of punishing winds that reached 150 miles per hour. Cars were tossed, metal bleachers crumpled, and roofs were peeled from homes.

On Saipan, the largest island with 43,000 residents, power is out and many roads are blocked. Preliminary assessments describe widespread flooding, uprooted trees, and downed power lines. Resident Dong Min Lee filmed a car that had been flung on top of two others in his apartment parking lot, while winds ripped part of his balcony railing away.

"It was still very windy and rainy roughly 24 hours later, but much better than the previous night," said Jaden Sanchez, a spokesperson for the Saipan mayor's office. The storm also brushed Guam with tropical-storm force winds.

As Sinlaku moved northward late Wednesday, its winds remained a dangerous 125 mph. It is forecast to curve toward remote volcanic islands in the far northern part of the archipelago. Meanwhile, recovery efforts are just beginning. The American Red Cross reported it was sheltering over 1,000 people across Guam and the Northern Marianas in the storm's aftermath.