As 180‑mph winds tore across the Marianas, Super Typhoon Bavi forced more than 500 residents into emergency shelters Monday as its eyewall battered Rota and flash flooding swept across the island.
The Joint Information Center reported that 517 residents were sheltering across the Commonwealth as of Monday morning, instructed to remain in place as the Category 5 storm moved west‑northwest at 12 mph. Bavi’s maximum sustained winds reached 180 mph, with gusts up to 215 mph, and forecasters said the system was expected to maintain this intensity through Tuesday.
Typhoon‑force winds extended 60 miles from the center, while tropical storm‑force winds reached 230 miles to the north and 185 miles to the south, placing all three islands under severe conditions.
On Saipan, 150 individuals sheltered at Marianas High School, 66 at Kobler Elementary School, 69 at Kagman High School, 84 at Garapan Elementary School, and 33 at Kagman Community Center. In Tinian, 61 residents took shelter at Tinian Elementary School and Tinian Middle/High School. On Rota, 25 residents sheltered at Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr./Sr. High School, while 29 stayed at the Rota Aging Center.
The CNMI government continued urging residents to stay indoors and avoid travel as conditions worsened.
