Super Typhoon "Bavi" Hits Pacific Island of Rota with Full Force

Rota is part of the Northern Marianas, a US overseas territory in Micronesia. The island lies roughly 50 kilometers from the larger Guam, where Governor Lou Leon Guerrero urged the population: "Bleiben Sie in Ihren Häusern, fahren Sie nicht auf den Straßen und halten Sie sich vom Wasser fern." Typhoon warnings also remained in effect for the islands of Guam, Tinian and Saipan. About 210,000 people live in total in the two US territories of Guam and the Northern Marianas.

Situation on Rota

Lou Rosario, spokesperson for the Mayor of Rota's emergency operations center, described the situation on Monday as follows: "Hier im Einsatzzentrum des Bürgermeisters von Rota haben wir mit starken Winden und Überschwemmungen zu kämpfen." Some of the 1,500 residents had already reported "erhebliche Schäden". Rosario also stated that some mobile phone services had failed due to a collapsed transmission tower, further hampering communication.

NWS meteorologist Landon Aydlett told US broadcaster NPR: "Das ist ein Supertaifun von enormer Stärke, und für jede Insel, die einen direkten Treffer abbekommt, sieht die Lage sehr düster aus." For Rota it would be "wahrscheinlich nahezu katastrophal". The weather service forecast that many non-concrete homes would collapse, nearly all trees would be uprooted and power poles would topple. Residents were instructed to "treat the imminent extreme winds as if a tornado were approaching" and to go immediately inside a building or into a shelter.

Authorities also warned of waves several meters high, storm surges and dangerous flooding. According to the emergency operations center in Guam, the storm was moving at about 15 kilometers per hour in a west-northwesterly direction. Many residents of the region live in simple wooden houses and structures made of corrugated iron that can hardly withstand the extreme winds of a super typhoon.

Warnings from the Weather Service

Even before the arrival of the storm's center, "Bavi" had already brought strong winds and heavy rain to the neighboring islands of Guam and the Northern Marianas. On Guam, power outages were reported, flights canceled and port operations suspended. According to the weather service, emergency shelters were nearly fully occupied in many places; on Saipan and Tinian, people had to be turned away in some cases because capacities were exhausted.

The NWS warned that power outages could last for weeks, possibly even months. A direct hit on Rota would render much of the island "uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps even longer," the weather service said. According to the NWS, the large-scale destructive winds reached more than 240 kilometers per hour.

Preparations and Emergency Shelters

During the storm, Aydlett appealed to the population: "Die Menschen müssen dort bleiben, wo sie sind." In a later online press conference, however, the meteorologist gave a partial all-clear: "Der Supertaifun 'Bavi' zieht gerade aus dem Gebiet ab", sagte er. "Die Lage wird sich allmählich verbessern. Das sind großartige Nachrichten für uns."

The damage caused by "Bavi" hits the Northern Marianas at an already strained time. In April, Super Typhoon "Sinlaku" had caused devastation, destroyed roofs and led to power outages for tens of thousands of people. Many people were still suffering from the effects of that earlier typhoon at the time of the new storm, further complicating the response to the current disaster.

Trail of Devastation

With a view to the coming hours and days, the full toll of Super Typhoon "Bavi" on Rota and the neighboring islands will only become clear gradually. What is already clear, however, is that the highest typhoon category has struck one of the smaller islands of the Pacific, with a comparatively thin infrastructure and a population that is already vulnerable.

(APA, 6.7.2026)