Workers secure a gas station ahead of the arrival of the forecasted Super Typhoon Bavi in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, on July 3, 2026. (Photo by Mark Rabago / AFP)
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: Residents of Guam and the Northern Marianas boarded up windows and stocked up as a monster weather system upgraded on Saturday to a "super typhoon" -- the equivalent of a category-5 hurricane -- approached the US Pacific territories.
Typhoon Bavi was moving west between the Marshall Islands and the Northern Marianas with sustained winds of 259 kilometers per hour (161 miles per hour) with gusts of 314 kph (195 mph), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) said in its latest update at 7 am Guam time (2100 GMT Friday).
"Current forecast tracks continue to indicate a grim outlook for the Marianas," the US National Weather Service warned. "All residents across Guam and the [Northern Mariana Islands] should plan for and anticipate at least tropical storm conditions."
Just months after a major storm hit, cars in Saipan, in the Northern Marianas, queued at petrol stations on Saturday, while residents thronged hardware stores to buy plywood and supermarkets for food, bottled water and other essentials.
The storm was expected to weaken very slightly by the time it arrived on Monday over Guam and the Northern Marianas -- which are still recovering from Super Typhoon Sinlaku in April.
Plans for celebrating the United States' 250th anniversary on Saturday have been quickly overtaken by storm preparations.
At the Pacific Islands Club Saipan resort, workers were boarding up windows, securing outdoor furniture and equipment, checking alarm systems and stocking first aid kits.
"Everyone has a role," the resort's sports, entertainment and activities manager Reymark Castro, 35, told AFP.
"From engineering to landscaping to operations, we're all working together to reduce damage and make sure we're ready to respond once the storm passes."
