First Came Chaba

How about three typhoons in three weeks and four in the past three months? That's what residents of the Northern Marianas had to suffer through in August and September.

Typhoon Chaba battered the CNMI on Aug. 22nd. It was followed on Aug. 31st by Typhoon Songda. Then Typhoon Sarika struck on Sept. 5th. Oh yes, don't forget Typhoon Tingting, which passed north of Saipan in late June.

At 2 a.m. on Aug. 22nd Typhoon Chaba, packing center winds of 145 miles per hour gusting up to 170 mph, passed between the Islands of Rota and Tinian. Although Chaba's closest point of approach was about 50 miles southwest of Saipan, the bulk of the damage occurred on Saipan, the CNMI's commercial and government center with a population of just over 65,000. Typhoon Chaba forced the evacuation of over 1,000 residents on all three islands to government-designated evacuation centers such as public schools, community centers and gymnasiums. Many buildings were destroyed, low lying areas were flooded, power lines and poles knocked to the ground, and trees and other debris blocked major roads.

This small hardware/grocery store in San Antonio Village burned to the ground during the height of Typhoon Chaba. The owners and firefighters were helpless as winds of up to 150 miles an hour were hitting Saipan. Photo: Frank Rosario

Government offices and businesses closed for a couple of days. Some schools opened a week after the typhoon; others had to wait longer as residents whose houses were destroyed stayed in schools longer than expected. The government eventually transferred the homeless to gymnasiums and community centers.

Initial estimates by CNMI government officials put the damage to public and private facilities at $18 million. As Pacific Magazine went to press, neither the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) nor the CNMI government had a final damage estimate. President Bush declared the Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Rota and Tinian a major disaster area on Aug. 28 releasing federal aid to assist islanders restore public facilities, private homes and businesses.

However, the Saipan Chapter of American Red Cross reported that 223 homes were destroyed, 883 sustained major damage, and 944 suffered minor damage. A Chinese tourist was swept into the water at the popular Grotto tourist site on Aug. 21, one day before Typhoon Chaba hit the CNMI. There were also several minor typhoon-related injuries, according to Jenn E. Castro, spokeswoman for the Emergency Management Office.

Typhoon Songda hit the islands north of Saipan on Aug. 31st with winds of up to 100 mph damaging the Islands of Pagan, Alamagan and Agrihan. None of the 33 residents of the three northern islands suffered injuries as they sought shelter in bunkers and government buildings. As if that wasn't enough, Typhoon Sarika with winds of up to 70 miles an hour, passed through the same three islands and destroyed whatever was spared by Typhoon Songda a week earlier. Governor Juan N. Babauta said he is preparing a separate request for federal assistance for those three islands.

As of early September, the FEMA Public Affairs Officer said 2,713 applications for federal assistance had been received. More than $2 million was released for housing assistance, including $960,000 for other necessities.