THESE RESILIENT ISLANDERS

MANY people in a US Pacific territory ravaged by a deadly super typhoon lost everything, but residents say they are resilient and must focus on the long recovery ahead.

The US government is sending supplies to the Northern Marianas as residents dig through crumbled houses, smashed cars and fallen utility poles after Super Typhoon Yutu struck Thursday as a  Category 5 storm.

''The rebuilding of this island is beginning already as time waits for nobody,'' Jan Reybes, who lives on the territory's most populated island of  Saipan, wrote in an email to the  Associated Press:

''Despite the casualties, we the people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are resilient people.''

To help the recovery, military planes brought in food, water, tarps and other supplies.

US Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman David Gervino said the Agency is focused on helping restore power, opening sea and air ports, and ensuring cellphone towers can operate on emergency power until electricity returns. [Agencies].