In the CNMI, the governor is redirecting resources to Rota, which is expected to be more severely impacted given Mawar’s southward trajectory. The island's leadership is dealing with the challenges with limited resources to respond.

The CNMI government is redirecting resources to the island of Rota. The current forecast sparing Rota from the eye of Mawar, but residents are all hands on deck, bracing for impact. Ike Mendiola, Rota Mayor’s Deputy Incident Commander, said, "Rota from the other side of the aisle will experience later today, into the night, into tomorrow lunchtime mid-day the effects of Tropical Storm gust winds."

The man'amko center in Sinapalo is open as a shelter and the mayor encourages residents in low-lying areas to stay with family on higher ground or go to the shelter.

Mayor Aubry Hocog said, "Our message to our people is to not take this lightly. Please best prepare as they can and ensure that they have enough supplies of food, medicine, and fuel…that they can gather."

The mayor says that FEMA will coordinate help from the Department of Defense, something that is practiced during the annual COPE North military exercise.

However, resources on the ground are limited and the Rota Health Center’s generator has been down since December as it waits for parts from the state. And the new generator has been sitting on Saipan since March but weather conditions prevented boat transport.

"Yesterday, Homeland Security with the CHCC was able to ship down portable generators capable enough…to power up the emergency room area," Mendiola added.

He added that there are also challenges with heavy equipment for the aftermath, noting, "Department of Public Works here all their heavy equipment is down. They had to go through the financial challenges of getting parts. Heavy equipment parts of very costly."

He says they found a local vendor who is on standby to provide some equipment after the storm to help clear the roads after working with the governor. Now, they wait and pray.  Mayor Hocog said, "We hope and encourage our people to stay safe throughout this and we do pray for our brothers and sisters in the neighboring islands, especially Guam."