Residents of Rota are beginning the difficult task of rebuilding after Super Typhoon Bavi tore through the island, leaving damaged homes, scattered debris and shaken survivors.
For many in the hard-hit village of Sinapalo, Bavi was unlike any storm they had experienced, even compared to Super Typhoon Sinlaku just months earlier.
Theresa Lizama, whose home sustained extensive damage, described Bavi as the strongest typhoon she has ever endured.
"Oh, this is the worst typhoon. It's very strong. It's not the same for the past Sinlaku. This one is a very, very super typhoon. Look what happened to my house. For how many years it's been having a super typhoon. Only this time got break," Lizama said.
She said she evacuated before the storm because she knew her semi-concrete home was unsafe.
"Before the typhoon, I just get out from the house... I know I'm not really secured for this semi-con house," she said.
Now facing the loss of much of her home, Lizama appealed for assistance.
"To all the people of Rota, we're sorry. But anyway, all of us, we have a lot of damage in here this time. Please help us," she said.
Richard Manglona of Sinapalo South said the storm lived up to its "super typhoon" classification.
"It's hard to describe but the main thing is it's super strong. Just as its name suggests, super typhoon, it is really a super typhoon," Manglona said.
He said losing running water was among the biggest challenges after the storm.
"Water, I think, in typhoons are the most important thing, more important than electricity," he said.
Manglona also expressed gratitude that no lives were lost.
"I'm so happy that nobody got injured... thank God for saving us during this bad experience," he said.
Prudencio Atalig Manglona V said the experience left him traumatized despite escaping injury.
"I was safe... but it was pretty scary. Very traumatizing for me because after all the destruction after Typhoon Bavi, I was really just scared in general," he said.
Surveying parts of Sinapalo afterward, he said the scale of destruction was immediately apparent.
"I could see that it's going to take a lot of recovery... I saw a lot of different things like solar panel, a lot of household items you'll find usually in your house instead of outside," he said.
Still, he remained optimistic.
"All glory to God... we could all pull through this, you know, Sinapalo strong, Marianas strong," Florencio said.
Lorenzo Zyler Hocog said his grandmother, who has lived through decades of typhoons, had never witnessed destruction on this scale.
"She said this is the biggest damage she has ever seen. During the typhoon, her palapala flew, her car was heavily damaged," Hocog said.
Perry James Mesngon said powerful winds hurled appliances and toppled trees onto vehicles.
"Our washer flew, dryer, or even our freezers flew. Everything, even the trees in the back broke down and fell on our cars. It's crazy," Mesngon said.
After driving around parts of the village, he said the devastation exceeded expectations.
"I drove around... just seeing a lot of destruction, a lot of stuff that fell down, everything that's not what we expected would happen," Mesngon said.
Despite the widespread damage, both young men urged fellow residents to remain hopeful.
"Just stay safe. It's okay, guys. This is just a small obstacle," Hocog said.
"Be strong and it will take time, but we got this," Mesngon added.
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