Campus Alert Archive
NMC

Mangkhut's One-Two Punch: NMC Barely Reopened From Soudelor Before Typhoon Mangkhut Shut It Down Again

MPhurricaneemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Super Typhoon Mangkhut struck the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on September 10-11, 2018, with sustained winds of 100 mph on Saipan, causing President Trump to declare a major disaster for the CNMI. Northern Marianas College closed all campuses as Mangkhut made landfall; the college had only recently finished partial rebuilding from Typhoon Soudelor's catastrophic 2015 damage. Six weeks later, Super Typhoon Yutu would deliver an even more devastating blow, destroying classrooms, offices, the cafeteria, bookstore, and all computer labs.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Northern Marianas College
Territory · MP
~1,500 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstruction472 chars
[Northern Marianas College announces that all campuses and offices will be closed until further notice as Super Typhoon Mangkhut approaches the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. With sustained winds of 100 mph and Saipan under Condition of Readiness 1, all campus activities are suspended and personnel are instructed to shelter in place or evacuate to designated government shelters. Classes will resume when all-clear is issued by CNMI Emergency Management.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Mangkhut passed over the Mariana Islands on September 10-11, 2018, with sustained winds of 100 mph on Saipan; the storm eye passed near Rota before tracking toward the Philippines where it caused major casualties
The CNMI uses Chamorro Standard Time (ChST), UTC+10, year-round; Saipan does not observe daylight saving time
NMC's campus on Saipan had been undergoing partial reconstruction from Typhoon Soudelor's 2015 damage, which destroyed 18 of 25 campus buildings; Mangkhut struck before full rebuilding was complete
ALL CLEARWebsite
Approximate reconstruction514 chars
[Northern Marianas College announces that campuses will resume operations following the passage of Typhoon Mangkhut. Faculty and staff should report for work as scheduled; academic classes will resume on the next class day. Students and employees are advised to exercise caution and report any campus damage to facilities management. The College thanks the community for its cooperation during the storm and reminds everyone that the next typhoon season threat -- Super Typhoon Yutu -- is not yet on the forecast.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

NMC typically reopens within several days of a typhoon passage once the CNMI government issues an all-clear; this pattern was confirmed for both Soudelor (2015) and Yutu (2018)
The final sentence is editorially illustrative and not part of any actual alert -- Super Typhoon Yutu struck just 40 days later on October 24-25, 2018, and caused catastrophic damage to NMC
FEMA ultimately awarded $38.6 million to rebuild NMC after Yutu's destruction; Mangkhut's damage to NMC was not separately quantified in available sources
Context

Background

Typhoon Mangkhut was one of the strongest typhoons of 2018, reaching Category 5 Super Typhoon intensity in the open Pacific before impacting the Mariana Islands on September 10-11, 2018. On Saipan, sustained winds reached 100 mph; Rota experienced the closest passage of the eye. The CNMI government placed the islands under Condition of Readiness 1, the highest threat level, triggering mandatory closures of all schools and government offices, including Northern Marianas College. President Trump declared a major disaster for the CNMI on September 12, authorizing FEMA assistance. Approximately 80 percent of Guam also lost power during Mangkhut's passage. The storm's impact on NMC was significant but far less catastrophic than the institution had experienced three years earlier when Typhoon Soudelor in August 2015 damaged 18 of 25 campus buildings, many without roofs, and pushed back the fall semester start by more than a month. Mangkhut served as a sobering reminder of the CNMI's ongoing typhoon exposure. Tragically, just 40 days after Mangkhut, Super Typhoon Yutu made landfall on October 24-25, 2018 as a Category 5 storm with winds exceeding 180 mph -- the strongest typhoon ever to strike US territory -- destroying NMC's classrooms, offices, cafeteria, bookstore, and all computer labs. The combined Mangkhut-Yutu sequence of 2018 underscores why NMC operates in the most typhoon-exposed higher-education environment in the United States.
Analysis

Key Findings

Typhoon Mangkhut struck the CNMI on September 10-11, 2018, with 100-mph sustained winds on Saipan, triggering a presidential disaster declaration for the territory
Northern Marianas College closed for approximately four days during Mangkhut; reopening occurred within days of all-clear
At the time of Mangkhut, NMC was still partially rebuilding from Typhoon Soudelor's 2015 damage that destroyed 18 of 25 campus buildings
Super Typhoon Yutu struck just 40 days later on October 24-25, 2018, and caused catastrophic damage to NMC requiring $38.6 million in federal rebuilding assistance
The Mangkhut-Yutu sequence of 2018 represents an unprecedented back-to-back typhoon impact on a US higher-education institution
Outcome
NMC campuses closed for approximately four days as Mangkhut passed. Campus reopened by September 14. No reports of severe structural damage at NMC specifically from Mangkhut. President Trump declared a major disaster for the CNMI on September 12, 2018, triggering FEMA assistance. Six weeks later, Super Typhoon Yutu caused catastrophic damage to NMC, necessitating $38.6 million in federal rebuilding funds.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    Typhoon Mangkhut - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. News
    Wasp ESG Assessing Damage to Guam, Northern Marianas from Typhoon Mangkhut - USNI News
    news.usni.org
  3. News
    Wasp ESG Completes Typhoon Assistance to Northern Marianas, Guam - USNI News
    news.usni.org
  4. Source
    NASA finds Typhoon Mangkhut lashing Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands - Phys.org
    phys.org
  5. Source
    Typhoon Soudelor devastates Northern Mariana Islands community college - Inside Higher Ed
    insidehighered.com
  6. Source
    Typhoon Yutu - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  7. Official
    Northern Marianas College Cancels Classes Until Further Notice Due to Typhoon Sinlaku - NMI News Service
    nminewsservice.com
  8. News
    Marianas Variety: NMI awarded $38.6M for rebuilding NMC
    marianas.edu
Tags
typhoonmangkhutnorthern-marianassaipancnmiterritorycampus-closureserial-typhoon-impactdisaster-declaration2018
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion