stbartshopper
Senior Insider
POWERFUL STORM HEADS TO EASTERN ASIA COASTS
Typhoon Soudelor like a Category 5 hurricane after hitting islands
John Bacon and Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
Food, water, cots, generators and other federal emergency supplies were rushed Tuesday from Hawaii and Guam to help Saipan after Super Typhoon Soudelor blasted through the tiny U.S. island in the Western Pacific.
After hitting the island, the typhoon strengthened into the Earth’s most powerful storm of 2015 — equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 180 mph — as it continued Monday across the Pacific Ocean. The winds diminished slightly Tuesday to nearly 150 mph, with gusts of 184 mph — equal to a Category 4 storm, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
The typhoon was taking aim at Taiwan, China and some of Japan’s southern islands, though it’s expected to weaken even further by the time it reaches land, the center said.
“There is growing concern that Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands will have to contend with Soudelor as early as Thursday night or Friday with impacts lasting into early next week across eastern China,” AccuWeather meteorologist Eric Leister said.
The latest forecast from the typhoon center shows the storm making landfall in Taiwan on Friday with winds estimated at 144 mph, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
Across the mountainous terrain of northern and western Taiwan, more than 20 inches of rain is likely, possibly triggering mudslides and flash floods, Accu-Weather said.
The storm slammed into Saipan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands, a 48,000-population U.S. commonwealth, with winds of 105 mph late Sunday and early Monday. It flooded the island’s power plant, ripped off roofs and toppled power poles, thePacific Daily News in Guam reported. Hundreds of Saipan residents are in shelters. Some roads remain impassable, and power and water service are out.
No fatalities were reported, but at least 10 people were treated at a government hospital for injuries, including wounds and deep cuts, from falling or flying debris. Acting Gov. Ralph D.L.G. Torres declared a state of disaster.
“Most power and phone lines are down with no power or landline service to most of the island,” Philip Dauterman told thePacific Daily News. He estimated it could take months for power to be restored across the island.
At its peak, Soudelor (SOWde- lore) was the strongest storm anywhere on the planet so far this year. Typhoons are the Western Pacific’s version of hurricanes. Soudelor is a Pohnpeian word for a legendary chief or ruler, according to the National Weather Service. Pohnpeian is a language spoken on the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands.
The storm slammed into Saipan (top), one of the Northern Mariana Islands, a 48,000-population U.S. commonwealth, with winds of 105 mph late Sunday and early Monday.
Typhoon Soudelor like a Category 5 hurricane after hitting islands
John Bacon and Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
Food, water, cots, generators and other federal emergency supplies were rushed Tuesday from Hawaii and Guam to help Saipan after Super Typhoon Soudelor blasted through the tiny U.S. island in the Western Pacific.
After hitting the island, the typhoon strengthened into the Earth’s most powerful storm of 2015 — equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 180 mph — as it continued Monday across the Pacific Ocean. The winds diminished slightly Tuesday to nearly 150 mph, with gusts of 184 mph — equal to a Category 4 storm, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
The typhoon was taking aim at Taiwan, China and some of Japan’s southern islands, though it’s expected to weaken even further by the time it reaches land, the center said.
“There is growing concern that Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands will have to contend with Soudelor as early as Thursday night or Friday with impacts lasting into early next week across eastern China,” AccuWeather meteorologist Eric Leister said.
The latest forecast from the typhoon center shows the storm making landfall in Taiwan on Friday with winds estimated at 144 mph, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
Across the mountainous terrain of northern and western Taiwan, more than 20 inches of rain is likely, possibly triggering mudslides and flash floods, Accu-Weather said.
The storm slammed into Saipan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands, a 48,000-population U.S. commonwealth, with winds of 105 mph late Sunday and early Monday. It flooded the island’s power plant, ripped off roofs and toppled power poles, thePacific Daily News in Guam reported. Hundreds of Saipan residents are in shelters. Some roads remain impassable, and power and water service are out.
No fatalities were reported, but at least 10 people were treated at a government hospital for injuries, including wounds and deep cuts, from falling or flying debris. Acting Gov. Ralph D.L.G. Torres declared a state of disaster.
“Most power and phone lines are down with no power or landline service to most of the island,” Philip Dauterman told thePacific Daily News. He estimated it could take months for power to be restored across the island.
At its peak, Soudelor (SOWde- lore) was the strongest storm anywhere on the planet so far this year. Typhoons are the Western Pacific’s version of hurricanes. Soudelor is a Pohnpeian word for a legendary chief or ruler, according to the National Weather Service. Pohnpeian is a language spoken on the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands.
The storm slammed into Saipan (top), one of the Northern Mariana Islands, a 48,000-population U.S. commonwealth, with winds of 105 mph late Sunday and early Monday.
