A typhoon churning across the western Pacific slowly was moving away from the Northern Mariana Islands as residents hunkered down and prepared for gusting winds and flooding.
Only the island of Agrihan in the US commonwealth remained under a typhoon warning today, the National Weather Service said.
Similar warnings for two other islands - Saipan and Tinian - were canceled for Typhoon Melor.
Most businesses had shut down by last night, and Saipan residents who don't live in concrete homes moved to typhoon shelters, said Charles Reyes, Northern Marianas Governor Benigno Fitial's press secretary.
Most residents had stocked up on food and water supplies ahead of expected flooding.
The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 210kmh, was moving west through the Northern Marianas today, the weather service said.
Melor was expected to intensify slightly over the next 24 hours, it said.
Earlier today, Melor was located 235km northwest of Saipan and Tinian, moving west at 25kmh. Typhoon-force winds of up to 110kmh extended up to 105km from the centre of the storm.
Saipan, Tinian and Agrihan had been forecast to take the brunt of the storm, with the weather service saying damaging winds could knock down trees, triggering power outages.
Rainfall of up to 15cm and waves as high as 4.8m were possible, forecasters said.
On Guam, villagers living in tin-and-wood homes were urged to seek refuge in storm shelters.
Residents have been rescued from collapsing homes during previous typhoons, so they were asked to relocate to shelters ahead of this storm, Yigo Mayor Robert Lizama said.
Hundreds have relocated to 12 public schools designated as storm shelters, he said.
The US Coast Guard advised mariners not to leave shore until the storm passed.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency prepared food, water and beds as Typhoon Melor closed in. The agency had more than 90,000 meals, 2500 cots, 3800 blankets and 85 power generators waiting in the Northern Mariana islands and Guam.
An additional 110,000 meals and more supplies were ready to be shipped from Hawaii to wherever they are needed.
Those supplies were also available to help the recovery from the tsunami that hit American Samoa earlier this week.
The USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship, was east of the islands and prepared to offer assistance to residents if needed, the Hawaii National Guard said in a statement. Navy submarines and Air Force aircraft had left Guam.
Admiral Timothy Keating, who is head of the US Pacific Command, had said he was "cautiously optimistic there will not be a significant blow" but was monitoring the storm.
Guam is located about 6000km southwest of Hawaii, just south of the Northern Mariana islands.
