Tens of thousands of people were without power Tuesday on Guam and the Northern Marianas after a super typhoon tore through the US Pacific territories, with no deaths reported.
The small island of Rota was the worst affected after a direct hit from Super Typhoon Bavi with winds up to 180 miles per hour on Monday, bringing down trees and power lines and knocking out water supplies.
Rota's Mayor Aubry Hocog said she had been told that two people sustained non-fatal injuries but that "there were no deaths confirmed."
Hocog said that over "50% of our island has undergone damages, and it could be more," adding that it could take "two to three months" to fully restore the power supply.
"There is still a very long line of our people lining up to get water. (Utilities company) CUC is rationing the water up to 25 gallons per household just so we can be sure to have enough for everybody," she added.
Rota resident Masum Dhali (24) said that "many homes have suffered severe damage, with countless roofs completely torn off."
"Across the island, there is no electricity, no running water, and no mobile network service," Dhali told AFP via Facebook, adding that "numerous water pipelines have been broken, and many power poles have fallen, leaving the entire island without essential services."
Local media showed a long line of cars on Rota – home to some 1,500 people – queueing to get drinking water as temperatures hit a hot and humid 85F (29C).
Saipan and Tinian, the two main islands of the Northern Marianas, home to around 40,000 people, also lost power, as did parts of nearby Guam, a separate US territory home to major military bases.
On Guam, less than 50 miles from Rota, fallen trees, bits of streetlamps and rocks were strewn over the roads late Monday and AFP saw at least one car flipped on its side.
With the exception of Rota, the damage in the region of around 210,000 people was less severe than after Sinkalu, a super typhoon that hit in April.