© NOAA
This satellite image, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows the moment the eye of Super Typhoon Yutu passed directly over Tinian, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, early Thursday, just before 2 a.m.
With sustained winds of 178 mph as its eye passed directly over the island of Tinian, Super Typhoon Yutu was the strongest storm on record to ever hit U.S. soil and tied for the most powerful storm on earth in 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"Tinian has been devastated by Typhoon Yutu," Mayor Joey P. San Nicolas said Thursday. "The homes, main roads have been destroyed. Our critical infrastructure has been compromised. We currently have no power and water. Our ports at this time are inaccessible and several points within the island are inaccessible."
The power plant has been damaged, and the power "distribution system is completely destroyed," San Nicolas said.
San Nicolas, a former attorney general for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, said he sent out a request for commodities to be brought to Tinian, like drinking water and ready-to-eat meals.
With no running water, Tinian stores have not reopened.
He said roads are being cleared of debris, and Tinian's airport runway is now usable.
President Donald Trump issued an emergency disaster declaration on Wednesday for Saipan and Tinian, along with the rest of the Northern Marianas, in anticipation of the typhoon.
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