Typhoon Nabi

Although Typhoon Nabi’s center was projected to pass about 30 miles south of Saipan, the Category II typhoon suddenly took a northerly path and the eye passed about 30 miles north of Saipan on the morning of August 31st. Park buildings and infrastructure came through with little damage, and there was no damage to the park’s marinas. There was localized flooding and downed trees. The island suffered  without power for about two days and experienced a critical water shortage due to the lack of power to fill surface reservoirs for four days. Unfortunately, the annual island-wide Labor Day picnic, which draws from 1,500 to 2,000 residents to the park, had to be cancelled due to hazardous tree safety precautions in the picnic grounds. Park crews had the park back to normal within a week.