Super Typhoon Bavi bears down on Guam and Northern Marianas
Forecasters warned of Category 5 winds, flooding and weeks-long outages as residents moved to shelters and secured homes.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Super Typhoon Bavi is threatening Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands with violent winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding as it moves toward the U.S. Pacific territories. The U.S. National Weather Service said the storm could cross the Marianas on Monday morning as a Category 5 system, putting homes, power lines and low-lying coastal areas at risk.
The National Weather Service said Bavi was moving west toward the island chain with sustained winds forecast at 260 kilometers per hour, or 162 miles per hour. Gusts could reach 315 kph, or 196 mph, according to the agency.
The weather service warned that the storm track would take Bavi through the Marianas as a dangerous super typhoon. It forecast torrential rain, coastal inundation and waves up to 10.7 meters, or 35 feet, creating highly dangerous sea conditions.
On Guam, roads were largely empty Sunday as rain and strong winds hit the island, AFP reported. Residents were heading to emergency shelters and making last-minute preparations before the storm’s expected arrival.
Pinky Cubacub, 55, told AFP she bought $500 worth of plywood after lining up early Saturday and was boarding up the windows of her eatery. She said a prolonged closure would hurt because the business was covering rent, utilities, staff and supplies, while she was not yet paying herself.
Arabella Paulino, 48, a call center worker, told AFP her daughters were frightened but said her concrete home should hold up, with a blown-in window among the worst outcomes she expected. Japanese tourist Miku Sakurai, 25, told AFP her Sunday flight to Tokyo had been canceled and that she planned to remain inside her hotel during the storm.
Despite the deteriorating weather, about a dozen surfers were in the water at Talofofo Bay, AFP reported. One surfer said there was debris in the water but described the conditions as enjoyable.
Rota faces severe risk
Bavi was forecast to pass closest to Rota, a small island between Guam and Saipan with about 1,500 residents. The National Weather Service said that if the storm passes near or over Rota, much of the area could be uninhabitable for weeks or longer.
The agency said many homes that are not concrete or reinforced could be destroyed, with roofs failing and walls collapsing. It also warned that nearly all trees could be snapped or uprooted, power poles could fall, neighborhoods could be cut off and outages could last from weeks to months.
The Northern Mariana Islands have about 40,000 residents, while Guam has about 170,000, according to AFP. Both are U.S. territories in the western Pacific.
The region has faced damaging storms in recent years. AFP reported that Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck the area in mid-April, cutting power to tens of thousands of people, uprooting trees and tearing roofs from buildings. Typhoon Mawar caused similar damage in 2023.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.