Super typhoon hits Marianas

HONOLULU — Super Typhoon Yutu crossed over the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands early Thursday as the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest storm to hit any part of the U.S. this year, the National Weather Service said.

Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands' delegate to U.S. Congress, said the territory will need significant help to recover from the storm, which he said injured several people.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Saipan, Sablan said he has heard reports of injuries and that people are waiting at the island's hospital to be treated. He could not provide further details or official estimates of casualties.

"There's a lot of damage and destruction," Sablan said. "It's like a small war just passed through."

Sablan said the entire island sustained damage, but there are areas that are worse than others. He has not been able to reach officials on the territory's neighbor islands of Tinian and Rota because phones and electricity are out.

"It's going to take weeks probably to get electricity back to everybody," he said.

Sablan says colleagues in Congress have reached out to offer help. He expects there will be a presidential disaster declaration put in place.