Super Typhoon Sinlaku batters islands

The Western Pacific is facing its first major storm of the year as Super Typhoon Sinlaku bears down on remote U.S. island chains.

The storm's inner eyewall has already made landfall on Tinian and Saipan, causing widespread power outages and significant structural damage.

Meteorologists are particularly concerned by the typhoon's slow movement, which is expected to prolong the period of destructive winds and trigger catastrophic flooding.

Emergency response teams are on high alert, though the intensity of the storm has made immediate rescue operations nearly impossible in the hardest-hit areas.