Typhoon hits the Mariana Islands

HAGATNA, Guam — A typhoon carrying strong winds and heavy rains passed over the Mariana Islands, with the eye of the storm skirting the small island of Rota.

Power outages and minor flooding were reported in some areas on Monday morning as damage reports were starting to arrive.

Tanya King, who was in Sinapalo, one of the population centers on Rota, said via Facebook messenger that she was without electricity and conditions remained very windy — sustained at about 75 mph — hours after the eye wall passed by. There also was minor flooding, she said. A friend of King’s, who lives near the ocean, had broken windows, “but all is well,” said King, 60.

It appeared the eye of Typhoon Vongfong had passed about 5 miles north of Rota early Monday morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Ziobro said. The eye wall, which packs the strongest winds, probably passed over the island, he said.

Rota, which is about 10.5 miles long and 3 miles wide, has about 2,500 residents, according to the last census. Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo asked for prayers for residents there.

The weather service canceled a flash-flood watch for the islands around 8:30 a.m. Monday, as the storm shifted farther west. Light to moderate rain was expected to continue for several hours, with occasional downpours, but flooding wasn’t expected, the agency said.

Ziobro said flooding, however, was possible in areas with poor drainage.

Residents on Guam heeded warnings about high winds and flooding by taking shelter at designated public schools. The Government of Guam and many businesses were expected to be closed Monday, and most flights were canceled.

Melissa Savares, the mayor of Dededo, Guam’s most populated village with more than 45,000 residents, said by phone that some who sought shelter in the schools were checking on their homes to see if it was safe for them to return.

Residents were advised to stay off the roads until they were cleared, Savares said. In some places, fallen trees are blocking passage, she said.

“We’re clearing those,” Savares said of the downed trees. “The winds were not as strong as we thought it would be.”

Ed Propst, a manager of the Head Start Program in Saipan’s public school system and a candidate for the islands’ House of Representatives, said branches, leaves and debris were scattered across his yard on Saipan early Monday morning. He told The Associated Press via Facebook messenger that he experienced several storms growing up in Saipan, but “I don’t think we have had one this strong in over a decade. Or at least it feels like it.”

The weather service said the typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and was expected to intensify as it moved away from the islands during the next day and a half. The track was still unclear, but Japan — which had another typhoon hit the southern part of the nation on Sunday — was on the outer edge of Vongfong’s potential track, according to the weather service.