Typhoon Sinlaku: Red Cross Helping as Islands Begin Long Road to Recovery

Volunteers, some in Red Cross shirts, remove equipment from Red Cross vehicle.

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Red Crossers traveled from Guam to Saipan and immediately went into action getting shelter teams out to the open shelters in communities. Red Cross photo by Samantha Taylor

A building with its roof heavily damaged.

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Super Typhoon Sinlaku raged over the island of Saipan for nearly three straight days. Winds gusts of some 150 miles per hour ripped roofs off of homes, large trees up by the roots and blew large power poles to the ground. Red Cross photo by Samantha Taylor

Large trees lay in the street, pulled out by their roots.

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Super Typhoon Sinlaku raged over the island of Saipan for nearly three straight days. Winds gusts of some 150 miles per hour ripped roofs off of homes, large trees up by the roots and blew large power poles to the ground. Red Cross photo by Samantha Taylor

Building’s roof gone after typhoon on Saipan

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Super Typhoon Sinlaku raged over the island of Saipan for nearly three straight days. Winds gusts of some 150 miles per hour ripped roofs off of homes, large trees up by the roots and blew large power poles to the ground. Red Cross photo by Samantha Taylor

Volunteers in Red Cross vests deliver supplies to a shelter

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Local volunteers deliver cots, snacks and water to the Red Cross shelter at the Kagman Community Center on Gaum. The shelter is currently home to residents from surrounding villages that are unable to return home post Sinlaku. The Red Cross is providing residents with meals, a safe place to stay and other services as the community starts their road to recovery. Red Cross photo by Samantha Taylor

Two girls sit with pile of palm leaves which they weave into flowers

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Tasi Cepeda and Ha’ani Cepeda spend time at the Yigo Gym shelter weaving palm leaves into flowers. The flowers were shared with other shelter residents and Red Crossers. Red Cross photo by Christine Welch

A group of women stand and listen as Red Cross volunteer explains the latest information after the typhoon.

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The Yigo Gym provides a safe place for local residents to stay following the devastating Typhoon Sinlaku. Red Crossers share resources as residents begin the path to recovery. Red Cross photo by Christine Welch

People line up as Red Cross offers help at an Emergency Family Assistance Center on Naval Base Guam.

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Red Cross SAF volunteers supported service members and their families as they sought assistance at the Emergency Family Assistance Center on Naval Base Guam. Red Cross photo by Christine Welch

April 19, 2026

News Summary:

The American Red Cross is on the ground on Guam and Saipan, helping people impacted by Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
Saipan saw widespread destruction after the slow moving Sinlaku raged over the island for nearly three days. The island is beginning to start to clean up but the road to recovery is going to be long and the Red Cross will be there to support those affected.
Red Cross disaster workers from across the U.S. have joined our local volunteers on the islands to help people impacted by this massive storm.
You can find open Red Cross shelters on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 671-472-6217 (Guam) or 670-234-3459 (Saipan). You can also check with local officials and monitor local news for information on where to find emergency shelters.
Help people affected by disasters like floods, storms and countless other crises by making a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. You can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999.

If you have been impacted by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, please contact your local Red Cross for support by calling 671-472-6217 (Guam) or 670-234-3459 (Saipan).

The American Red Cross is on the ground on Guam and Saipan, helping people impacted by Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

Saipan saw widespread destruction after the slow moving Sinlaku raged over the island for nearly three days. Winds gusts of some 150 miles per hour ripped roofs from homes, tore large trees up by the roots and blew large power poles to the ground. Debris is covering roadways, blocking access to some areas. The islands are without power, drinking water systems are down, as well as communication towers. Water and power could be unavailable for weeks.

The island is beginning to start to clean up but the road to recovery is going to be long and the Red Cross will be there to support those affected.

Tinian and Saipan are part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). CNMI and Guam are U.S. territories whose residents are U.S. citizens

RED CROSS RESPONSE Red Cross disaster teams continue to work with government and local partners to consolidate and open shelters. Right now the Red Cross is supporting 11 evacuation shelters with as many as 600 people seeking refuge after the storm.

On Guam, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) volunteers have already supported hundreds of service members and their families who sought help at the Emergency Family Assistance Center set up on Naval Base Guam where families can receive disaster relief services and information. Guam is home to several major U.S. military facilities which have also been affected by the typhoon. SAF volunteers on Guam regularly engage and assist service members and their families, and veterans. Their efforts include working in hospitals, medical clinics and administrative offices on military installations as well as case work.

FIND A SHELTER You can find open Red Cross shelters on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 671-472-6217 (Guam) or 670-234-3459 (Saipan). You can also check with local officials and monitor local news for information on where to find emergency shelter.

If possible, people who plan to stay in a Red Cross shelter should bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents. Don’t forget to bring any special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, or for family members who have unique needs.

Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need and all disaster assistance is free. We don’t require people to show any kind of identification to enter a shelter — just their name and where they were living before the disaster.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Help people affected by disasters like floods, storms and countless other crises by making a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. You can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, whenever and wherever they occur across the country.

You can also help by becoming a volunteer. The American Red Cross Pacific Islands Region Guam Chapter is urging community members to sign up to support their neighbors. We invite you to get involved by visiting redcross.org/volunteer.

RECONNECTING If someone has a loved one or friend that is missing due to Super Typhoon Sinlaku, they should visit redcross.org/gethelp and follow the steps to fill out a reunification request. Tell us about the person(s) you are looking for. Provide as much detail as you can to assist us in potentially locating your missing loved one.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster.

Mission Leader Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Bank of America; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Costco Wholesale; Dollar General; Ford Philanthropy; Lowe's; State Farm

ADGP Leaders: Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; Chick-fil-A; CMA CGM Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Honda; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Nationwide Foundation; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; Wells Fargo Foundation

ADGP Members: ALDI; The Allstate Foundation; Altria Group; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Bread Financial; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Edison International Foundation; Elevance Health Foundation; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Fox Corporation; GE Aerospace Foundation; General Motors; Google.org; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Microsoft; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Foundation; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; Stryker; Suburban Propane; Target; The Winn-Dixie Company; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Wingstop Restaurants; Zoetis Foundation

Disaster Responder Program Members: 3M; 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Aflac; Albemarle Corporation; The Allstate Foundation; American Family Insurance; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco and Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; DENSO North America Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dollar Tree; Duke Energy; Eli Lilly and Company Foundation; Enbridge; Equitable ; Erie Insurance; Farmers Insurance®; Fastenal; Grainger; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; John Deere; Johnson & Johnson Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation ; L'Oréal Groupe; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo ; Liberty Mutual Insurance; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Martin Marietta; Masco Corporation; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Mutual of Omaha Foundation; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Nike Foundation; Norfolk Southern; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Old Republic International Corporation; Oxy; Pacific Life Foundation; Phillips 66; Prudential; QBE Foundation; Qualcomm; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reynolds American Inc.; RGA Foundation; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Salesforce; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Sunbelt Rentals; T-Mobile; Tennant Company; Toyota Tsusho America, Inc.; Uber; U-Haul International; Uber; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; US Foods; Westlake Corporation; Yum! Brands; Zurich

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.