Two Weeks Later, Islands Struggle to Recover from Typhoon Sinlaku

wo men and a woman, all wearing Red Cross shirts, load a truck with relief supplies.

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Red Cross volunteers on Saipan load a truck with relief supplies, preparing to visit neighborhoods and hand out things like tarps and clean-up kits to people in need. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

Man in Red Cross vest carries two clean-up kits through a neighborhood with storm damage

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A Red Cross volunteer walks through a damaged neighborhood, on his way to deliver relief supplies. He is part of a team of mostly Saipan residents who dropped everything to volunteer with the Red Cross. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

Two men in Red Cross shirts deliver supplies to a home on Saipan.

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Red Cross volunteers deliver relief supplies to a home on Saipan. They are part of the team of mostly Saipan residents who dropped everything to volunteer with the Red Cross. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

A man in a Red Cross vest walks down a street full of damage from the storm.

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A Red Cross volunteer walks through a damaged neighborhood on Saipan, helping with damage assessment which will help define what assistance is needed in the weeks to come. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

Two men in Red Cross shirts work on unloading a truck filled with relief supplies

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Red Cross volunteers unload a truck filled with things like tarps and clean-up kits to get ready to distribute them in a damaged area of Saipan. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

A man in a Red Cross vest loads relief supplies into the front passenger seat of a car.

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A Red Cross volunteer loads relief supplies into a resident’s car on Saipan. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

Two women in Red Cross vests walk through downed trees carrying relief supplies.

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Two Red Cross volunteers walk through downed trees to deliver relief supplies on Saipan. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

A group of people sit and listen to a man in a Red Cross vest.

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Volunteers attend training on how to perform damage assessment to support those efforts on Saipan. Teams of local community volunteers and community partners have begun detailed damage assessment which will help define what assistance is needed in the weeks to come. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

People in Red Cross shirts and vests prepare to unload relief supplies from a plane

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The Red Cross continues to work side by side with local partners to support our neighbors on Saipan, Tinian and Rota as recovery continues after Super Typhoon Sinlaku. To support that work, the Red Cross shipped another 1,400 pounds of relief supplies and equipment to help meet immediate needs across the region. Red Cross photo by Scott Marder

Two SAF Red Crossers sitting in the dark, huddle around a lamp while the power is out. One is on the phone while the other takes notes.

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With the power still out, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) staff members Sam Hand and Stephanie Soliz continue supporting the Typhoon Sinlaku response in Saipan. On Guam, SAF staff supported hundreds of service members and their families who sought help at the Emergency Family Assistance Center set up on Naval Base Guam. 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. They support hospitals, medical clinics and administrative offices on military installations as well as case workService to the Armed Forces maintains a global workforce across U.S. military bases in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East, providing day-to-day support to military communities and, in times of significant disasters, deploying as trained disaster workers to assist both military and civilian communities.

April 29, 2026

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).

It’s been two weeks since Super Typhoon Sinlaku raged over Guam, Saipan and Tinian, leaving devastation in its wake. Hundreds of American Red Cross disaster workers from across the country have joined volunteers from the region, working around the clock to help people as they deal with the aftermath of the typhoon.

Saipan and Tinian saw widespread destruction from the storm. Many of those taking refuge in shelters are unable to return home because of the damage from the storm. The islands are in the process of cleaning up but the road to recovery is going to be long, and the Red Cross will be there to support those affected.

RED CROSS RESPONSE On Guam, Red Cross shelters have supported residents by providing a safe place to stay, food and water, and access to disaster health, mental health, and spiritual care.

On Saipan, where the destruction is more widespread, in addition to operating eight shelters, Red Cross responders are distributing emergency supplies and water to hard hit areas. Teams have also begun detailed damage assessment by utilizing local community volunteers, event-based volunteers and local community partners. Water remains a challenge in Saipan, with frequent interruptions to the city's water supply. The Red Cross continues to work with community partners and local government to address unmet needs.

The situation on Tinian has stabilized, with water and power restored. The Red Cross is distributing emergency supplies to residents who need them.

In shelters, disaster health volunteers are caring for minor injuries and replacing things like eyeglasses and medications. Disaster mental health workers are providing emotional support to those experiencing unimaginable loss. So far, Red Cross teams have delivered over 1,100 clean-up kits and other emergency items, and, with partners, have served nearly 125,000 snacks and meals.

FIND A SHELTER The Red Cross is supporting 10 evacuation shelters (8 shelters on Saipan, 1 shelter on Tinian and 1 shelter on Guam) with hundreds of people seeking refuge after the storm. To date there have been over 11,000 overnight stays in Red Cross shelters.

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

Red Cross shelters are a safe place for everyone. We don’t ask for identification, and you don’t have to stay overnight. The Red Cross is not only providing a safe place to stay, but food, water, health services and more are available in the shelters.

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.

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; CSX; 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.