Tinian mayor bookends tenure with twin super typhoon threats as Sinlaku nears

Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan began his first term in the early recovery phase of Super Typhoon Yutu and is now set to end his second with another powerful storm—Super Typhoon Sinlaku—bearing down on the Northern Marianas.

Some weather models indicate the 180-mph system could pass just south of Tinian by Tuesday afternoon or early evening, raising concerns of severe impacts across the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

“Everybody’s boarding up,” Aldan said, as residents rushed to secure homes and move to shelters. “We’ve already had people in shelter… we have personnel bringing people in.”

The mayor said one emergency shelter at Tinian Elementary School has been activated, with 11 people checked in as of shortly before the interview, while Tinian High School and a Head Start facility are on standby if numbers rise.

Power disruptions have already begun, with a brief outage reported earlier in the day.

Aldan said residents, drawing lessons from Yutu, have taken early warnings seriously. “Seeing the strength of this typhoon, a lot of people stopped and prepared for the worst,” he said. “There were a lot of lessons learned from that experience.”

While Tinian has fewer coastal communities than Saipan, authorities are monitoring vulnerable sites, including container housing at Tachogna and facilities near the port, where military personnel are based.

U.S, military units on the island—including Seabees and Air Force Red Horse—have been attending emergency meetings and are prepared to assist if requested through official channels, Aldan said.

The municipality has also identified critical access routes for emergency responders and coordinated with contractors who can provide heavy equipment for post-storm recovery.

Aldan acknowledged that preparedness now includes improved documentation and coordination to ensure federal reimbursement—an issue that hampered recovery efforts after previous storms.

“We learned a lot from Yutu,” he said. “Requests have to go through proper channels… otherwise we lose out on support.”

As Sinlaku approaches, Aldan urged residents to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.

“This is going to be a big hit for the municipality,” he said. “Stay safe, stay at home, don’t go outside. Hunker down… do not panic.”