Residents of Guam and the Northern Marianas rushed to emergency evacuation centers on Sunday, making last-minute preparations ahead of a forecast super typhoon. The storm was projected to directly hit the U.S. Pacific territories, prompting urgent warnings from local authorities.
The National Weather Service described the storm as a "super typhoon," a rare and extreme designation indicating sustained winds exceeding 150 miles per hour. The system is expected to bring catastrophic damage, including storm surges and destructive winds, to the islands.
Government officials ordered evacuations for low-lying areas and opened shelters across both territories. Emergency supplies, including sandbags and non-perishable food, were distributed as the storm approached.
The super typhoon poses a direct threat to the roughly 170,000 residents living across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Military installations in Guam, a key U.S. strategic hub in the Pacific, are also bracing for impact.
The storm is the most powerful to threaten the region in years, though forecasting remains uncertain regarding the exact track and intensity at landfall.