Typhoon Yagi made two landfalls in southern China yesterday, displacing a million people, and is expected to hit northern Vietnam today, prompting authorities to issue top alerts and suspend activities as a precaution.
Earlier, nearly 420,000 residents were evacuated in Hainan, and over 500,000 in Guangdong, as the provinces were hit by the powerful storm, which packed winds of up to 245kmph.
The storm caused heavy rain, power outages, leaving more than 800,000 homes without electricity. Classes, work, transportation, and businesses were suspended, and tourist attractions closed. Flights were grounded, and trading on the stock market halted.
In Hong Kong, the typhoon signal prompted cancellations of over 100 flights, injuring nine people and displacing over 270. The city’s weather authority raised a typhoon signal to eight, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system.
Yagi’s impact was also felt in the Philippines, where it left 16 dead, 17 missing, and over two million affected. The storm caused landslides and widespread flooding, displacing over 47,600 people from their homes.
Southern China reels from Typhoon Yagi’s fury, one million affected
Typhoon Yagi made two landfalls in southern China on Friday, forcing the relocation of nearly one million people as it brought widespread destruction and disruption to the region.
The storm, which packed winds of up to 245kmph, made its first landfall in Hainan province’s Wenchang city at around 4.20pm, and a second landfall in Xuwen County in neighbouring Guangdong province on Friday night.
Ahead of the landfalls, authorities evacuated nearly 420,000 residents in Hainan and over 500,000 in Guangdong, with many more forced to flee their homes due to heavy rain, power outages, and strong winds. The storm caused widespread disruptions, including:- Suspended classes, work, transportation, and businesses in parts of the province as early as Wednesday evening
– Closed tourist attractions and grounded flights at three airports on the island
– Power outages, leaving and heavy rain across most of Hainan
– Strong winds buffeting the province’s iconic coconut trees
The residents were building sandbag barriers outside buildings to guard against possible floods and reinforcing their windows with tape.
Authorities issued top emergency response alerts, with state broadcaster CCTV reporting that Qinzhou city in Guangxi region also issued a top emergency response alert to guard against the typhoon. The storm was described as the strongest autumn typhoon to have landed in China by the country’s national meteorological authorities.
Namita Singh7 September 2024 04:41
Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog for Saturday, 7 September 2024, where we provide the latest update on Typhoon Yagi.
Namita Singh7 September 2024 04:16