(CNN)Super Typhoon Yutu slammed into the US territory of the Northern Mariana Islands Wednesday night, destroying homes and cutting power and water to thousands of residents.
The storm strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane with sustained wind speeds of 280 kph (174 mph) before hitting the islands, and is now tracking northwest toward the Philippines and Taiwan.
Yutu is the strongest storm on record to hit the remote island communities of Saipan and Tinian, the largest of the Mariana Islands, home to about 55,000 people. It’s also one of the strongest storms to ever hit a US territory, and one of the strongest tropical cyclones on the planet this year.
