Rota’s Road to Recovery after Sinlaku

April 14th through the 15th brought 150 to 165 mph winds and heavy rainfall to the Marianas, hitting Tinian and Saipan head on. As Rota sits 105 km away from Tinian and 127 km from Saipan, typhoon force winds also devastated the island. National and international news outlets called Super Typhoon Sinlaku “monstrous”, “The most powerful storm of 2026 so far” and “the strongest tropical cyclone this year.” Evident in the carnage left behind, the Marianas is facing a true test of resilience as we work on recovery and rebuilding.

The longest storm of their lifetime is what many Rota residents are saying about Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Despite having significant time to prepare, it seems as if nothing could prepare the Marianas for the 2-day long super typhoon. Rota resident Lorenzo Hocog shared his experience with MP, “We prepared, but during the storm, I constantly felt anxious, always thinking about whether we should find a safer location. As days went by and the typhoon intensified, my concerns grew about its impact on the island, especially given our ongoing financial difficulties - making recovery even harder afterward.” Rota being the least populated of the three main islands in the commonwealth, shipping isn’t always constant and consistent amenity, and with hazardous surf anticipated throughout the weekend, many worry of Rota running out of supplies before we can replenish.

The brute force of Super Typhoon Sinlaku ripped directly through Saipan and Tinian at peak intensity around midnight, while Rota was lashed by its trailing bands as the storm passed. Many shared their anxiety and exhaustion having withstood the overnight onslaught of Sinlaku. “It was exhausting and draining, constantly moving around in the dark, checking where the floodwater was coming from. I searched for rags to soak up the water so it wouldn’t spread and eventually ended up using clean towels,” stated Therese Manalang, a sentiment shared by many. Yet another Rota resident Mila Camacho, who like so many, suffers significant damage to her home added, “All I can say is that in my almost 34 years here in Rota, this is the only storm I have experienced that lasted 3 days. I felt scared, especially all the things around my house breaking and flying because of the strong wind. My spouse and I both felt fear and worry, so we prayed, Lord, please let this storm end.”

As the Marianas prepared for the prolonged storm, many feared the loss of power and being able to connect with their loved ones throughout the Marianas. Rota resident, Kaypeonie Mendiola, CNMI’s 2025 Liberation Queen was on the island of Tinian when Sinlaku hit the Marianas and called her experience “devastating and scary, especially being away from my family, which was the hardest part.” Mendiola adds, “The debris flying and hitting our windows made it so difficult to sleep, as well as being without power and water.” Damian Atalig, a resident of Rota with immediate family members on Saipan shared with MP, “Although it wasn’t a major issue for us, we were worried about the power outage because our relatives on another island were also affected. Our biggest concern was that once our devices died, we’d lose contact with our loved ones and wouldn’t be able to check on their wellbeing.”

On Rota, although some escaped with minimal flooding, others faced the full force of Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Nicolle Cabiong, a resident of SongSong Village, Rota shared her harrowing experience through an interview with MP, stating that she was forced to seek shelter in her bathroom, the only part of her home that was able to keep its roof. Cabiong adds that as she was checking on the conditions of her house at midnight on April 14th, Sinlaku’s peak wind speeds ripped the roof off of her entire home, right before her eyes,leaving only her bathroom intact. Cabiong mirrors the sentiments of many who have experienced total loss because of the super typhoon, stating “Now I have to start from scratch.”

Regardless of the extensive damage left behind by Super Typhoon Sinlaku many residents remain optimistic of the recovery efforts being made as an entire Marianas community, Lorenzo Hocog shares, “It is time for us all to come together, united in strength, on the road to recovery. Marianas strong.” “My dear people of Rota, we are resilient, we are strong, and we are united. Through every challenge, every hardship, we come together as one community, lifting each other up and rebuilding stronger than ever before,” stated Councilwoman Tillie Taimanao. “Let us all continue to look out for one another, lend a helping hand where we can, and hold onto hope, because together, we are stronger than any storm,” said Kaypeonie Mendiola.

“If we continue to work together, be patient, and show our inafa’moalek spirit, and just be a good friend, a good neighbor and just continue to show kindness, we can get through this together. I also want to ask our people to pray for our brothers and sisters in our neighboring islands of Tinian and Saipan who were exposed to most of this catastrophe, and I know many of them are going through a lot, losing their homes and so we want to see how later on down the line we could provide support to them,” shared Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog.

Since the “All Clear” was issued by Governor David Apatang at 2pm yesterday, Mayor Hocog and Rota’s department heads have been activated for recovery efforts, completing preliminary assessments of government and public facilities. Mayor Hocog adds that one of her first directives was to ensure that the main highway and secondary roads were cleared of obstructive debris to allow residents to commute safely. In addition, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation-Rota’s feeder one is now operational, as getting the Rota Health Center back on the grid was one of the main priorities. Also according to Mayor Hocog, RedCross volunteers on island are assisting with preliminary assessments and she encourages residents to take photos and summarized documentation of damages to and around their homes as the island expects a visit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency sometime today.