A powerful super typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, has hit the US Pacific island territories, causing catastrophic damage and life-threatening coastal flooding. The center of Super Typhoon Bavi was passing over Rota, an island of 2,000 people in the Northern Mariana Islands, with maximum sustained winds over 180 mph.
Impact on Military Bases
The storm is expected to affect the US military installations in the Pacific, including Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, which is a vital location for US military operations in the region. The base is home to over 7,000 active-duty military personnel and is used to project power across the Pacific.
The US military on Guam has posted on social media that it is in its top level of storm readiness and expecting damaging winds. The weather service has warned of hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall on Guam, which has a total population of over 150,000 people.
Previous Storms
This is the second super typhoon to hit the area this year, following Super Typhoon Sinlaku in April, which caused widespread flooding, prolonged power outages, and extensive damage to homes and infrastructure on Saipan and Tinian.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
