Super Typhoon Yagi, the strongest typhoon in a decade has hit Hainan Island, also known as China’s Hawaii. The typhoon packing winds of up to 234 km/h made landfall in Wenchang City. It is the second strongest typhoon globally in 2024, after Hurricane Beryl in the Atlantic.
Typhoon Yagi has caused destruction, power outages and evacuations across the region. More than a million people in China were forced to evacuate with 92 reported injuries and two deaths.
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Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall on Hainan Island, China. The typhoon formed over the warm seas east of the Philippines escalated in strength bringing with it winds of 234 km/h.
Typhoon Yagi is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. It made landfall in Wenchang City, northeast Hainan at 16:00 local time on Friday, according to Chinese state media.
This is the strongest storm to hit the region in a decade following Typhoon Rammasun in 2014, which left 46 people dead. Yagi is the second strongest typhoon of the year globally following Hurricane Beryl in the Atlantic.
Typhoon Yagi brought with it extremely destructive winds with gusts exceeding 234 km/h and rainfall across Hainan Island. Some parts of the region experienced up to 500mm of rainfall.
Authorities evacuated more than 400,000 residents from Hainan Island to safer ground ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Trains, boats and flights were suspended in anticipation of the storm. All tourist attractions, businesses and schools were shut down as a precaution.
The island’s main airport in Haikou was closed with flights suspended until 3 PM local time on Saturday. The world’s longest sea bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai was also shut down due to the storm’s powerful winds.
Power outages affected 830,000 households in Hainan shortly after Yagi made landfall. Emergency repair teams consisting of 7,000 workers were dispatched to restore power.
By Friday evening, power had been restored to 260,000 households, but many areas remained without electricity.
Typhoon Yagi caused destruction, toppling vehicles, uprooting trees and damaging roads, bridges, and buildings. As of now, two deaths have been reported with 92 people injured due to the storm.
Typhoon Yagi made a second landfall in Guangdong province on Friday evening with winds exceeding 200 km/h. Authorities in Guangdong evacuated more than 574,000 people ahead of the storm and many areas experienced heavy rainfall and flooding.
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The financial hub of Hong Kong and the neighboring region of Macau also felt the impact of the storm. In Hong Kong, the stock exchange was closed, schools were shut down and more than 50 flights were canceled. By Friday afternoon, conditions had improved and operations at the city’s airport resumed.
In Philippines, At least 16 people lost their lives, and thousands were forced to evacuate as homes were submerged.
Before reaching Vietnam, Typhoon Yagi struck China’s southern island of Hainan on Friday, September 6 with wind speeds of 234 km/h. The storm caused devastation across the island, uprooting trees, damaging homes and causing flooding.
830,000 households on Hainan were affected by power outages and many valuable crops were destroyed.
Chinese authorities evacuated 400,000 people from Hainan island before Yagi’s arrival with public transportation being halted and schools and businesses closed.
In Guangdong province, 574,000 people were evacuated as the storm continued its destruction after making a second landfall in Xuwen County.
At least three people lost their lives due to Yagi’s impact in China with nearly 100 others injured. Videos on social media showed the strength of the storm including windows being ripped from buildings in Hainan.
Hong Kong experienced strong winds and heavy rains leading to the cancellation of more than 100 flights. Over 270 people sought refuge in government shelters in Hong Kong as the storm approached the region.
Typhoon Yagi hit northern Philippines while still categorized as a tropical storm. The storm caused floods and landslides killing at least 21 people. Thousands of people were displaced as they were forced to evacuate from areas prone to landslides and floods.
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