Super Typhoon Bavi slams Rota with catastrophic winds and flooding

Super Typhoon Bavi, the most powerful storm to strike the US Pacific island territories in decades, made a direct and devastating landfall on the tiny island of Rota early Monday local time, bringing winds exceeding 290 km/h and catastrophic damage to the Northern Mariana Islands. The Category 5 super typhoon, equivalent in force to a high-end Category 5 hurricane, tore across Rota with its eye passing directly over the island, leaving authorities scrambling to assess the destruction amid warnings of prolonged isolation and weeks-long power outages.

Speaking from the Rota Municipal Operations Centre, public information officer Lou Rosario told reporters: “We are hanging in there. We are experiencing heavy winds and flooding here... Some people are already reporting major damages.” Rosario confirmed that cellphone service had been disrupted by a fallen communications tower, complicating emergency response coordination. The National Weather Service (NWS) had earlier warned that a direct hit on Rota would render most of the island “uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer,” with total roof failure, wall collapse, snapped trees, and downed power poles isolating communities. “Nearly all trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed,” the NWS stated. “Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months.”

Meteorologist Landon Aydlett of the NWS, speaking at an online press conference, initially offered cautious optimism as the storm began to move away, saying: “The Super Typhoon ‘Bavi’ is just exiting the area. The situation will gradually improve. That’s great news for us.” However, he had earlier described the storm as “extremely dangerous and life-threatening,” with winds capable of hurling deadly projectiles. Edwin Montvila, another NWS meteorologist, reiterated the peril, stating: “Bavi posed an ‘imminent danger to life,’ with residents urged to move to interior rooms and stay away from windows. Entering outside can result in death from flying projectiles.”

The typhoon’s eye crossed Rota at approximately 06:00 local time Monday, according to multiple sources, including the NWS and regional emergency officials. The storm brought at least 51 centimetres of rain to the region and generated waves up to 10.7 metres high, compounding the risk of deadly storm surges. While Rota, with a population of around 1,500, bore the brunt of the impact, Guam, Tinian, and Saipan also experienced severe winds, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam issued a stark warning: “Stay in your homes. Do not drive on the roads. Stay away from the water.”

The crisis comes just three months after Super Typhoon Sinlaku devastated the same region in April, destroying roofs, cutting power to tens of thousands, and leaving many still reliant on emergency shelters. On Saipan and Tinian, shelters were reportedly at capacity, with some residents turned away. Flights were cancelled, ports closed, and power outages reported across Guam even before Bavi’s arrival. The NWS had warned that Bavi’s intensity was fueled in part by El Niño conditions, which have contributed to stronger and more frequent tropical cyclones in the western Pacific.

The US Pacific command and the NWS continue to monitor the storm’s progress as it moves west-northwest at approximately 15 km/h, gradually weakening but still posing risks to other islands in the region. With communication lines down and access limited, a full assessment of the damage on Rota may take days. The storm has already entered regional history as one of the most intense to strike US Pacific territories, underscoring the vulnerability of remote island communities to the growing threat of climate-driven extreme weather.