Typhoon Maysak Flattens Ulithi Atoll, Devastates Food Supply

Typhoon Maysak, now weakened from super typhoon status, is poised to strike the northern Philippines after devastating several Micronesian nations. 

Tuesday, when Maysak still retained super typhoon strength, the storm battered Ulithi, an atoll about 420 miles southwest of Guam with less than 800 residents. 

With sustained winds at 160 mph, Maysak damaged nearly everything on the atoll except concrete structures, meaning vital vegetation and supplies were wrecked during the storm, according to the AFP. 

(FORECAST: Typhoon Maysak Weakens, Targets the Philippines)

"Because Ulithi is just a little above sea level, in some areas the sea rose, destroying crops and the soil. It will take time to desalinate the soil -- approximately a year until the crops can be re-planted," Pacific Maritime Association administrator Melinda Espinosa told the AFP. 

On Chuuk State, however, the residents were not as lucky. Maysak struck the Micronesian nation last weekend before reaching super typhoon status and killed at least five people, according to the Associated Press. 

Guampdn.com reports that 95 percent of the tin houses in Chuuk State were destroyed by the storm. Thousands of residents have been displaced. 

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, authorities are preparing to evacuate thousands of people. SBS reports that officials plan to move people if the chance for flash flooding and landslides is high.

"Local government units and police are prepared to enforce pre-emptive or forced evacuations if necessary to ensure the safety of everyone," Interior Undersecretary Austere Panadero said. 

In mid-March, tropical cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu's islands in the south Pacific and transformed the land with damaging winds and lashing rains. 

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Cyclone Pam's Devastation (March 2015)