28 Dec 2018

CNMI still on the road to recovery

4:09 pm on 28 December 2018

Two months after Cyclone Yutu devastated much of the Northern Marianas, the island of Saipan is slowly returning to normal.

Correspondent Mark Rabago says 60 percent of homes now have power, with clean drinking water and 144 people remain at the evacuation centre from the 360 recorded early this month.

Two people died, hundreds were injured and more than 3000 houses were destroyed, leaving thousands homeless when Yutu hit the islands in October.

Mr Rabago said tourists are returning and he hopes more visitors will come to the island.

"We only had a little over 5,500 tourists in November compared to close to 49,000 a year ago. We're getting some tourists back. There's a lot of tourists already on the island. That's a welcome development," he said.

Locals in the CNMI waiting to get food stamps after category five Super Typhoon Yutu devastated the island and neighboring Tinian.

Locals in the CNMI waiting to get food stamps after category five Super Typhoon Yutu devastated the island and neighboring Tinian. Photo: Mark Rabago