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A super typhoon with ferocious winds and relentless rains was battering a group of remote U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean, forcing residents to seek shelter from flying tree limbs and collapsed buildings.<\/p>\n
The center of the Super Typhoon Sinlaku<\/a> pounded the Northern Mariana Islands early Wednesday local time, the National Weather Service said.<\/p>\n It’s the strongest tropical typhoon on Earth so far this year and was packing sustained winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph) that were likely to bring widespread power outages to the islands, home to roughly 50,000 people.<\/p>\n Some areas already were seeing extensive flooding.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hitting us hard,” Mayor Ramon \u201cRB\u201d Jose Blas Camacho of Saipan, told The Associated Press late Tuesday. “It\u2019s so difficult for us to respond with this heavy rain, heavy wind to rescue people. Objects are just flying left and right.\u201d<\/p>\n Camacho said some people have been rescued. He said trees were thrown about and wooden and tin structures had collapsed. He said he hoped the glass door to his office doesn’t break.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s already bending. That\u2019s how powerful this is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The typhoon slowed to a crawl as it approached the islands, raising fears that the fierce winds won\u2019t go away quickly and worsen its impact.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not going to be an easy night for anyone across Tinian or Saipan. This is going to be a loud night,\u201d said Landon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the weather service. Many \u201cwill wake up to a different island,\u201d he said during a Facebook video broadcast.<\/p>\n Saipan is the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands. The worst of the storm was hitting hit during darkness and was expected to last for hours until at least daybreak Wednesday, the weather service said.<\/p>\n Camacho was concerned about the slow speed of the storm.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the scary part, \u201d He said, saying \u201cit’s better to speed up so it can just exit.\u201d<\/p>\n Farther south, in Guam, a U.S. territory with several American military installations and about 170,000 residents, \u201ctorrential rainfall is occurring and flash flooding is ongoing,\u201d the weather service said. We ask that everyone remain indoors and away from windows.\u201d<\/p>\n About 50,000 people live on the Northern Mariana Islands, with most on Saipan, known for its laid-back resorts, snorkeling and golf as well as the capital<\/a>.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s expected to weaken slightly over the next few days, Sinlaku was crossing the islands as a Category 4 typhoon.<\/p>\n