Rota gets strongest winds from Goni

Tropical Storm Goni passed between Rota and Tinian Saturday night, sparing the worst for Soudelor-battered Saipan.

Rota got the strongest winds of up to 60 miles per hour as Goni, which means “swan” in Korean, made its closest point of approach north of the island.

According to acting press secretary Matt Deleon Guerrero, no damage were reported on Rota although the island experienced power outages. As of 6pm last night, they were still fixing problems with their power supply.

Some 11 individuals on Rota sought shelter in their Aging Office and at the Rota Jr./Sr. High School.

Saipan shelters maxed out

On Saipan, strong winds and heavy rains as early as Saturday sent people to shelters. A total of 600, including those who were already in the shelters because of Typhoon Soudelor, were accounted for.

Public School System shelters were maxed out as early as 6pm Saturday. That included Tanapag Head Start, Koblerville Elementary School, Kagman High School, San Antonio Middle School, Marianas High School, Dandan Middle School, and Chacha Oceanview Middle School. The Commonwealth Arts Council Gallery on Capitol Hill had to be activated to accept more individuals seeking refuge.

As of 12pm yesterday, Condition 1 was lifted for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota as Goni moved away but an “all clear” was yet to be declared as of 7pm as strong winds and heavy rains were still being felt.

“The lifting of Condition 1 means the Marianas is not expected to receive any damaging or destructive winds, but does not signify an all clear for the Marianas,” HSEM bulletin number 11 said.

Despite Goni being a tropical storm only when it passed through CNMI, typhoon-strength conditions were raised notably. In their bulletins, HSEM said Goni was anticipated to become a typhoon.

Busted generator

In the midst of the Emergency Operations Center standing by Tropical Storm Goni, IT&E’s generator went down around 3pm or 4pm in the afternoon, according to Deleon Guerrero.

EOC was without Internet and phone lines for hours before IT&E’s generator was repaired around 7:30pm. Aside from Capital Hill, parts of Puerto Rico were also affected.

Deleon Guerrero said the generator has been operating for 24 hours for days now, which should not be the case. He added that FEMA will be providing a generator to IT&E to fix the problem.

Tropical Storm Atsani

As Goni moves away from the Marianas, its “twin tropical storm” named Atsani is being monitored by the National Weather Service in Guam.

As of 2pm yesterday, no watches or warnings were in effect for the Marianas.

Its center was located about 1,005 miles east of Saipan and had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. It was moving west-southwest at 3 mph.

NWS said Atsani is expected to become a typhoon and move toward the west-northwest and northwest over the next few days while increasing in forward speed.

Port reopens

The U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Port of Saipan at 1pm yesterday.

The hazardous conditions associated with Tropical Storm Goni no longer threaten the ports of Guam and CNMI, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The ports of Guam and CNMI are now open to all commercial vessel traffic and cargo operations.

The Coast Guard closed the port on Saturday as gale force winds were anticipated within the next half-day. (With Dennis B. Chan)