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A 'Super Typhoon' Just Devastated The Mariana Islands — Months Before Peak Storm Season
The strongest storm of 2026 slammed into the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands this week, where it flooded homes, ripped roofs off of houses, and lingered for more than two days, forcing families to shelter without electricity, cell service, or running water as they waited for the worst to pass.
During the storm, Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds, the commonwealth's only representative on Capitol Hill, posted a Facebook video assuring residents that she's working with federal partners to get the help they need. "At this stage, funding issues have not been raised by FEMA or any other federal agency in our communications," King-Hinds' spokesperson Chris Conception told Grist.
Before the storm, King-Hinds was among the commonwealth's top political leaders who pleaded with the Trump administration for federal help to address the islands' massive economic downturn. King-Hinds and the CNMI have asked the Trump administration for specific policy changes to help bring in more tourists, including loosening flight restrictions from China and visa restrictions from the Philippines, as well as a federal bailout.