Salvation Army Activates Disaster Response as Super Typhoon Bavi Strikes Mariana Islands

Super Typhoon Bavi tore across the Mariana Islands on July 6, passing directly over Rota as a catastrophic storm with sustained winds reaching 180 mph. The storm surpassed Super Typhoon Sinlaku as the strongest storm to hit the region this year. Intense winds and flooding continued throughout the day as the storm’s eye passed over Rota. The Salvation Army, alongside local officials, has begun initial damage assessments across Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan.

The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division is mobilizing its Emergency Disaster Services in response. Corps in Guam and Saipan are preparing to deploy meal services to shelters and strategic community locations. They are coordinating with the Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense and CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Bavi’s impact follows Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which struck the same islands in April and was the world’s strongest storm of 2026 at that time, a record Bavi has now surpassed. Many communities were still without power and rebuilding when Bavi arrived, which deepened needs in places that had not yet recovered from the first disaster.

In preparation for the response, The Salvation Army on Guam and Saipan purchased additional water, non-perishable food, and supplies. These will be distributed to the community through coordinated relief efforts in the coming weeks. Food distribution on Saipan, with additional support for Tinian and Rota, will be run out of the Saipan Corps. Cadets Jonathan and Rachel Utrera were pictured preparing bottled water for distribution ahead of the Bavi response, an effort that reflects the care for neighbors in need described in Matthew 25:35.

The organization said every dollar donated will support typhoon disaster relief across the Pacific region. The immediate focus is meeting urgent needs, including providing hot meals and essential supplies to displaced families. Longer-term recovery support is planned as communities rebuild.

Through its Sinlaku relief efforts alone, The Salvation Army has served 13,965 meals, delivered 4,344 home-delivered boxes of staples, and provided emotional and spiritual care to nearly 600 affected individuals. The organization said that Bavi, described as an even stronger storm, adds new urgency for islands still recovering and that the same level of sustained support is needed again.

The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division says it is standing by its corps in Guam and Saipan, and the communities of Rota and Tinian, as they face a second and more severe disaster in a matter of months.

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