By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
SUPER Typhoon Sinlaku was 70 miles southeast of Saipan as of 11:35 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, according to the Emergency Operations Center.
Sinlaku was moving very slowly, said Special Assistant for CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Clement R. Bermudes during an online press conference that began at 11:30 a.m.
He said that, based on the latest advisory from NWS Guam, “the super typhoon is still tracking north toward us….”
Gov. David M. Apatang reiterated his advice for residents to remain indoors and stay off the roads. He also urged the community to stay calm and look out for one another.
“Keep each other safe,” he added.
He stressed that residents should stay off the roads. “This is not a storm we can afford to take lightly,” he added.
He said emergency services will respond only to critical calls due to unsafe conditions. “Again, stay at the shelters, stay at your house, don’t go around and be safe. So let us work together and weather this storm out.”
Bermudes said the wind gusts Saipan was experiencing at the time of the press conference “were not even typhoon-force yet.” However, he said that as of 11:30 a.m., “no serious incidents” had been reported, except for “falling trees.”
There is an islandwide power outage, but Bermudes said the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. is ready to deploy field workers to restore power and water service “as soon as it is safe.”
Over 300 residents have taken shelter across Saipan, Tinian and Rota, he added.
The governor said that as of 11:30 a.m., the water supply was still running due to generators at water wells around Saipan.
Bermudes said the Commonwealth “under Governor Apatang and with our federal partners are ready [and] prepared to respond and go to the recovery process.” He added, “Start thinking how we can recover. We can do this together.”
The governor said FEMA is “ready to throw support to the Commonwealth once it’s all clear, maybe by Thursday,” adding that “even the federal agencies in Guam are looking forward supporting the CNMI once it’s clear up here.”
Bermudes also urged the public to rely on trusted, official sources for information, particularly CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management “to make sure that we get accurate information.”
This is a developing story.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
