Super Typhoon Yagi yesterday slammed into southern China’s Hainan island, bringing windspeeds of more than 230kph in what is set to be the strongest storm to hit the region in more than a decade.
Hainan Province evacuated more than 400,000 people ahead of the storm’s expected landfall, while tens of thousands prepared to seek shelter in neighboring Vietnam.
Yagi killed at least 13 people in the Philippines this week when it was still classified as a tropical storm, triggering floods and landslides on the main island of Luzon, before strengthening into a super typhoon over the past few days.
Photo: Xinhua via AP
The storm made landfall in China yesterday along the coast of Hainan, a popular holiday destination, and neighboring Guangdong Province at 4:20pm, Xinhua news agency reported, citing authorities.
In Hong Kong, a typhoon warning that had been in effect was lowered shortly after noon following heavy rains overnight as Yagi passed within 400km of the territory. Trading at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was suspended yesterday and schools were closed.
Authorities said five people were injured in the territory due to the weather, but damage was limited.
Southern China is frequently hit during summer and autumn by typhoons that form in the warm oceans east of the Philippines and then travel west.
However, climate change has made tropical storms more unpredictable and increased their intensity, leading to heavy rains and violent gusts that cause flash floods and coastal damage, experts say.
Yagi is to head toward Vietnam after moving through southern China, on course to hit the northern and north-central regions around the famed UNESCO heritage site Halong Bay today.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Defense said that more than 457,000 personnel from the army, police and other forces had been put on standby.
Authorities have announced plans to close four northern airports, including Hanoi’s main international hub Noi Bai, for several hours today, while all coastal cities and provinces put sailing bans in place yesterday.
Residents in the northern port of Hai Phong and the capital, Hanoi, were stocking up on food and other necessities.
Tourist boats in Ha Long Bay had been brought ashore or taken into shelters.
Pham Quang Quyen, a resident of Quang Ninh Province, said from Tuan Chau island that he had never experienced such a typhoon warning in nearly two decades.
“I hope we will survive the typhoon as we have been very well prepared,” Quyen said.
“We are all very much used to dealing with storms and heavy rains here,” he said.
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