A satellite image of Super Typhoon Yutu. Somewhere under that is Saipan and the Imperial Palace Casino, which may now be even more unfinished than it was when it missed its August 31 construction deadline. (Image: Vox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSuper Typhoon Yutu struck Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands on the morning of October 25, killing two people and destroying more than 3,000 homes. With windspeeds of up to 180 mph, it was the most powerful tropical cyclone of 2018.<\/p>\n
Much of Saipan and Tinian remain without power and residents face water shortages — a dangerous situation considering the humidity of the climate. But despite the Mariana Islands\u2019 status as a US overseas territory, the devastation was largely ignored by the world\u2019s media.<\/p>\n
Yutu caused severe damage to Saipan\u2019s airport, and commercial flights have been grounded since. The casino relies almost completely on the remote island\u2019s tourist industry for revenues, which has been crippled.<\/p>\n
‘Like a War Zone’<\/strong><\/h2>\n\u201cSuper Typhoon Yutu left a trail of destruction on Saipan and Tinian,\u201d said IPI in statement Thursday. \u201cThe natural disaster has been heart-wrenching because the storm left our beautiful islands looking like a war zone. The island-wide destruction affected personal property, our infrastructure, and the business community. Like so many others, Imperial Pacific International, LLC was included in this trail of destruction.<\/p>\n
Imperial Pacific also suffered millions of dollars in unexpected damage, forcing the company to make adjustments to ensure typhoon cleanup and repairs are done safely so employees and development continues to be protected.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The company said it has been running limited operations at the still-unfinished Imperial Palace since the storm hit. It has since undertaken assessment and \u201cmade the difficult decision\u201d to temporarily shut down casino operations.<\/p>\n