All-clear declared

Tourists in raincoats cross a street in Garapan yesterday as they brave the rain from Tropical Storm Kammuri. (IVA MAURIN)

The all-clear was declared for Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam, soon after Tropical Storm Kammuri left the region early yesterday morning. Tropical Storm Condition I was cancelled at 11am; this means tropical storm conditions are no longer expected.

Although government offices were expected to reopen after 12pm yesterday, they were later declared closed for the rest of the day, mainly due to the heavy rainfall throughout the early morning hours that could cause flash flooding in low-lying areas. Government workers were advised to tend to their homes and families as safety remains the top priority.

Public School System classes remained cancelled yesterday.

The Northern Marianas College initially cancelled its morning classes but proceeded to later cancel its evening classes and keep its offices closed.

The CNMI Judiciary re-opened yesterday from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. It was closed in the morning due to the threat of Tropical Storm Kammuri.

Both Guam and Saipan offices of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were closed yesterday and a USCIS advisory stated that both offices will remain closed until the all-clear is sounded.

Those who have interview or biometric appointments scheduled will be notified of new appointment dates. 

For updates on USCIS office status, please visit the USCIS office closings page of the USCIS website, www.uscis.gov.

The University of Guam campus re-opened at 1pm yesterday afternoon. All regularly scheduled classes resumed at 2pm.

Bank of Hawaii also said that all of its West Pacific branches were open yesterday.

A flash flood watch remains, which means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding.

Much of yesterday morning was characterized by cloudy skies and constant rain but flooding and rainfall slowed by Wednesday evening.

The hazardous seas warning remains in place on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota remains until 6am today. This means combined seas of 13 to 15 feet will decrease to between 11 to 13 feet Thursday, and seas are expected to remain hazardous through the weekend. East to southeast winds of up to 23 to 34 miles per hour hit the CNMI through Wednesday night. These conditions will produce dangerous conditions for vessels of all sizes, and vessels are advised to remain in port until seas and winds subside.

The U.S. Coast Guard has downgraded its declaration for CNMI seaports to Port Heavy Weather Condition Whiskey, which means tropical storm conditions are cleared and ports are open to all commercial vessel traffic and cargo operations.