Typhoon Yagi Makes Landfall on Hainan Island in China, Evacuating More Than 400,000 People

Typhoon Yagi made landfall on China’s southern island of Hainan on Friday, September 6, where nearly 420,000 people were evacuated as a precaution, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Authorities expect Yagi to be the strongest storm to hit the country’s southern coast in a decade. Packing heavy rainfall and winds of up to 234 km/h, the typhoon could cause devastating damage.

Hainan Island is a popular tourist destination, known for its sandy beaches and luxury hotels. Several tourist sites have been temporarily closed and restrictions put in place for motorists.

China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday raised the emergency response to flooding in Hainan and neighboring Guangdong province to the third highest level.

Vietnam on alert

Yagi passed within 400 kilometers of Hong Kong on Thursday night, bringing heavy rain. The Hong Kong stock market was suspended Friday, schools were closed and public transportation was restricted. Authorities said three people were injured, but damage was limited. Heavy rain continued to hit the city Friday.

After southern China, Yagi is expected to continue its path toward Vietnam, where it is expected to hit the northern and north-central regions around the famous Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people will be evacuated to safer areas in Hai Phong and Thai Binh provinces on Friday, local authorities said.

“It will be the most powerful typhoon [à toucher le nord du Vietnam] for twenty years »said Pham Duc Luan, head of the authority in charge of managing the dikes, on Thursday. More than 457,000 military personnel have been mobilized by the Defense Ministry’s Rescue and Rescue Department. Authorities have also asked some 50,000 fishing boats to take shelter.

Southern China is frequently hit by typhoons in summer and autumn that form in the warm oceans east of the Philippines and Thailand. The region’s typhoons are forming closer to shore than before, intensifying more quickly, and staying over land longer due to climate change, according to a study published in July.