Woman nearly drowns on Mañagaha

A woman nearly drowned while snorkeling on Mañagaha Island on Friday afternoon, about the same time when a tropical storm watch was issued for Saipan, Tinian, Alamagan, Pagan, and Agrihan.

Tropical Storm 27W, which has been downgraded since Saturday to a tropical depression, is forecasted to pass south of Guam tomorrow, Tuesday.

The strong swell from the distant Super Typhoon Lan, which passed hundreds of miles to the west of the Marianas, plus 27W resulted in strong waves that washed piles of seaweeds onto portions of the Saipan Beach Road pathway yesterday.

In a Facebook post by the National Weather Service yesterday, it asked: How big were the waves over the Marianas?

“Near Saipan, an automated buoy showed sea height max[ed] out at 30 feet Sunday morning and, near Guam, seas went up to 22 feet Sunday morning. Seas have come down since the morning, but are still high, ranging between 10 and 20 feet.

“These swells were generated by distant Super Typhoon Lan, which passed hundreds of miles to the west of the Marianas. This is proof that you don’t need a typhoon to pass close to the local area to be dangerous,” the post stated.

Saipan residents expressed relief after learning over the weekend that the storm has been downgraded to a tropical depression and its track has shifted away from the island.

As of 4pm yesterday, Tropical Depression 27W was moving south-southeast, packing maximum winds of 35 miles per hour, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

Its center was about 385 miles southeast of Guam, 405 miles south-southeast of Rota, 445 miles south-southeast of Tinian, and 450 miles south-southeast of Saipan.

There is still much uncertainty on how close Tropical Depression 27W will pass Guam.

Department of Public Safety acting spokesman Lt. Jason Tarkong said yesterday that police responded to a reported possible drowning incident on Managaha last Friday at 2:22pm.

Tarkong said the victim, a 29-year-old Chinese woman, was transported by Mañagaha staff boat to the Smiling Cove Marina and was met by Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services medics, who then brought the victim to the Commonwealth Health Center.

Tarkong said that Boating Safety Unit investigators met with the victim, who was conscious at CHC.

Police learned that the victim had been snorkeling with her husband when they got separated. The husband found the victim unconscious and was floating face down. He pulled her to shore and, seeing that she still had a heartbeat, did chest compressions on the victim, who coughed out a lot of water and regained consciousness.

Tarkong said the victim was treated at the CHC emergency room and admitted for further observation.

As early as 9am on Friday, acting governor Arnold I. Palacios had already advised CNMI residents to prepare for gusty winds, heavy rain showers, and possible flooding due to anticipated threat of Tropical Depression 27W and to maintain necessary precautionary measures.

At 2:30pm Friday, the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency issued a tropical storm watch for Saipan, Tinian, and the Northern Islands as Tropical Depression 27 W strengthened into a tropical storm.