By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
WITH Super Typhoon Bavi bearing down on the Commonwealth and expected to bring its most dangerous conditions early Monday, hundreds of residents sought refuge in government-designated shelters following urgent calls from the Apatang administration to prepare and relocate before winds intensify.
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, 430 residents had taken shelter on Saipan and Tinian, according to the Joint Information Center. No information was immediately available on Rota’s shelter count.
On Saipan, Marianas High School sheltered 145 people, Koblerville Elementary School housed 69, and Kagman High School sheltered 81. Garapan Elementary School, a secondary designated shelter site, received 77 shelterees.
On Tinian, 58 individuals sought refuge at Tinian Elementary School.
Several residents said they had no choice but to leave their homes, especially those still living in compromised structures after previous storms. A Chalan Laulau resident told Variety he went to the MHS shelter because his house remains damaged and he has been living in a tent.
“They told me that someone gonna come and put down the tent, but they haven’t come yet,” he said. “Better safe than sorry — I’m gonna shelter.”
Another resident said his family was in a similar situation, prompting them to relocate before conditions worsen.
Gov. David M. Apatang on Saturday urged residents to take Super Typhoon Bavi seriously as the powerful system slows and strengthens on a direct path toward the Marianas.
“Don’t wait until the wind starts blowing,” the governor said. “Prepare now, fuel up, gather supplies, and go to a shelter if you need to.”
Typhoon Condition 1
The governor, in consultation with the National Weather Service Guam and the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office, declared Typhoon Condition 1 for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota at 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the Joint Information Center. Typhoon Condition 1 means typhoon-force winds of 74 mph or greater are expected within 12 hours or less.
Bavi remained a Category 4 super typhoon Sunday with sustained winds of 155 mph, and forecasters warn it may intensify to 160 mph as it approaches the islands. The system is expected to pass very close to Rota, with Saipan, Tinian, and Guam also facing damaging winds and hazardous coastal conditions.
Forecasters warn of 6 to 9 feet of coastal inundation in exposed areas of Rota and 3 to 6 feet in Tinian and Saipan, with wind- and wave-driven run-up potentially pushing water even higher along vulnerable coastlines.
Residents are urged to remain sheltered through sunrise Tuesday and monitor official updates from the Joint Information Center and the National Weather Service Guam.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
