Residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are preparing for the passage of a “super typhoon” as it approaches the U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean.

At midnight (Greek time), Typhoon Bavi was moving westward toward the Marshall Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, with sustained winds of 259 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 314 kilometers per hour—it was reclassified as a “super typhoon” in the early morning hours, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane (on the five-point scale), according to the same source.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned yesterday that the El Niño climate phenomenon, which typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts nine to twelve months, has already begun in the tropical Pacific Ocean and is developing into a high-intensity event.

Bavi’s projected path points to “alarming prospects for the Marianas,” and “residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands should prepare for and expect at least tropical storm conditions,” according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

Supermarket shelves have been emptied – Lines at gas stations

In Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, lines of cars formed at gas stations, while residents rushed to stores for plywood and other materials to protect their homes, as well as to supermarkets to stock up on non-perishable food and bottled water.

Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to hit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Monday morning, which had already been severely battered in April by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which cut off power to tens of thousands of people, uprooted trees, overturned vehicles, and tore off building roofs.

“Two super typhoons in two months—that’s historic. We’ve never seen anything like this in the Marianas,” said a resident as he boarded up the windows of his home and filled his water tanks.

Preparations for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence today were quickly put on hold due to measures taken in anticipation of the super typhoon’s arrival.

Some 40,000 people live in the Northern Mariana Islands, and about 170,000 on the nearby island of Guam.

Source: iefimerida.gr