GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina-based relief organization is flying tons of emergency supplies to a U.S. island territory in the Pacific Ocean struggling to recover from a massive typhoon late last month.
Samaritan's Purse says a DC-8 jet left Greensboro on Sunday for the Northern Marianas island of Saipan, almost 8,000 miles (about 12,800 kilometers) west.
The Boone-based charity says the emergency shelter materials, household water filtration units, solar lights and medical supplies should arrive in Saipan on Tuesday. Samaritan's Purse is also sending a mobile medical team.
Saipan and the nearby island of Tinian are recovering from Super Typhoon Yutu, the strongest storm to hit any part of the U.S. this year. Residents of Tinian say most of the homes on the island were destroyed by a direct hit from Yutu.
