Super Typhoon Soudelor wreaked havoc in Saipan when it hit the Northern Marianas island late Sunday night and Monday morning. Soudelor battered the island with wind speeds between 100 mph and 120 mph. The typhoon is now barreling its way through the West Pacific, creating 14-metre waves in the Pacific Ocean and causing torrential rains in the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan's Ryukyu Islands, while on its way to China.
Saipan is in a 'state of disaster' with hundreds of its residents now in shelters. The water and power supplies are out, and most of the roads are impassable. Food, water and emergency supplies were being rushed Tuesday from Hawaii and Guam to help the residents of Saipan. Soudelor entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on August 5th (Philippine Time) and was locally named Hanna. Though it didn't make a landfall, it brought heavy rains and strong winds in the northern part of the country.
According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, Soudelor reached a record low pressure of 900 millibars, making it the strongest storm of the year so far. Initially described as the most powerful storm this year with sustained winds of more than 160 mph and gusts approaching 200 mph, Soudelor was also dubbed as a Super Storm with Category 5 winds on Tuesday. It later weakened to become a Category 4, but still strong enough to bring mud floods and destroy properties.
Taiwan's Transportation and fire departments have made preparations for the typhoon, and they are also expecting the gales and heavy rains to last until tomorrow. According to China's National Meteorological Center, Soudelor is expected to make a landfall in the province of Fujian, China later this week. China's national observatory issued a yellow alert ahead of typhoon Soudelor. The typhoon is expected to bring gales and heavy rains to the coastal areas in the coming days.
