Storm struck October 25
“Super-typhoon” Yutu, which struck the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands on October 25, forced the closure of the Imperial Pacific Resort on Saipan on November 16. The resort reopened two days later.
According to the Atlantic, the monster storm packed sustained 180-mph winds that killed at least two people, injured hundreds more, destroyed more than 3,000 houses and left thousands homeless. The news outlet reported that “much of Saipan and Tinian” could go without power for months, and severe water shortages remain.
In a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. reported that it cut its operating hours from November 2 to November 15, closed completely for two days and resumed operations “as normal” on November 18.
Bloomberg News called Yutu “the latest blow” to the troubled casino, which has faced construction delays, labor problems, difficulties meeting payroll, uncollected debts and a 51 percent decline in first-half revenue that caused earnings to plummet. Yutu is not the first typhoon to halt operations at the resort: Typhoon Soudelor in 2015 caused a similar suspension.
In a statement cited by the Saipan Tribune, IPI said, “Although the Saipan International Airport is scheduled to resume normal operations soon, our previous experience with Typhoon Soudelor was that it took several weeks for the tourist population to normalize because tour packages were cancelled and it will take time to entice visitors to visit.”
The latest storm caused “millions of dollars in unexpected damage,” IPI reported.
Marianas Variety quoted CNMI Governor Ralph Torres as saying, “This just shows how fragile our economy and the tourism industry is: one event like Super Typhoon Yutu can affect our future.” The island group is a U.S. controlled territory.
