Super Typhoon Bavi Nears Guam and Northern Mariana Islands, Residents Evacuate

Residents across the U.S. Pacific territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have begun evacuating and making emergency preparations as powerful Super Typhoon Bavi rapidly approaches the region.

According to AFP, the storm is expected to strike the islands within the next several hours. The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the typhoon's core is likely to make landfall early Monday, July 6.

Forecasters say Bavi is packing sustained winds of around 260 kilometers (162 miles) per hour, with gusts reaching up to 315 kilometers (196 miles) per hour. The storm has been classified as the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, making it an "extremely dangerous" system.

The NWS has warned that the typhoon could bring torrential rainfall, flash flooding, coastal inundation, and storm surges of up to 35 feet (10.7 meters). Authorities fear widespread damage to infrastructure, power grids, and communication networks.

Ahead of the storm, residents have been boarding up windows with plywood, stockpiling food, water, and medicine, while many have relocated to emergency shelters or safer hotels. Several flights have already been canceled due to deteriorating weather conditions.

Guam is home to approximately 170,000 people, while the Northern Mariana Islands have a population of about 40,000. Authorities have opened five emergency shelters across Guam, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has pre-positioned emergency supplies, including food, drinking water, generators, and other relief materials to support disaster response efforts.

Climate experts say tropical cyclones in the Pacific are becoming more intense due to rising ocean temperatures and the influence of El Niño, increasing the likelihood of more powerful and destructive storms in the years ahead.