"Anything Tinned is Destroyed": Recovery Begins in CNMI Following Super Typhoon Sinlaku

Officials in the Northern Mariana Islands report heavy destruction to tin-roof structures and utilities after Super Typhoon Sinlaku pounded Tinian and Saipan.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 20, 2026, 8:18 AM EDT

Source: RNZ Pacific

The Breaking Development: Tinian and Saipan Move to Recovery

Following the departure of Sinlaku, municipal staff on Tinian have been deployed to assess the extent of the impact. Allen Perez, chief of staff to the Tinian Mayor, noted that anything built with tin roofing has been largely decimated. While Perez suggested the overall structural damage might not exceed the record-breaking Super Typhoon Yutu, he described Sinlaku as "more scary" due to its slow movement and erratic track. Recovery is currently focused on restoring basic utilities, though officials have warned residents that power restoration will "take some time."

Background and Strategic Context: A Storm that "Hung Around"

Super Typhoon Sinlaku is being compared primarily to Super Typhoon Soudelor (2015) and Super Typhoon Yutu (2019). Unlike previous storms that moved through the region quickly, Sinlaku lingered, subjecting Tinian and Saipan to sustained destructive winds and flooding for more than two days. This duration led to severe water intrusion issues in buildings that had otherwise survived the initial wind gusts. The storm’s erratic behavior—initially tracking toward Guam before making a rapid northwest shift—left many residents scrambling to board up their properties at the last minute.

Key Players and Stakeholders: Schools and Small Businesses Hit Hard

The damage reports extend across various sectors: