Super Typhoon Sinlaku Batters Remote US Pacific Islands

A super typhoon steadily battered a pair of remote U.S. islands in the PSuper Typhoon Sinlaku pounded the Northern Mariana Islands for hours before daybreak Wednesday, slowing just to inflict more damage across the islands of Tinian and Saipan, home to nearly 50,000 people. 

In the village Susupe on Saipan, the wind tore the roof off of a commercial building and broke tree branches. A blue sedan lay on its side.

Resident Dong Min Lee shot some



video of a car sitting on top of two others in his apartment building’s parking lot below. The winds also tore off part of his balcony railing. 

“I hope people will take an interest and help. The damage is really huge here,” Lee said in a Facebook message. The typhoon — the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth this year — was packing sustained winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph) when it made landfall on the islands, the National Weather Service said.