Photo credit: www.cbc.ca
Vietnam is reeling from the impacts of Typhoon Yagi, which has claimed the lives of at least four individuals and left 78 injured after it made landfall on Saturday afternoon in northern regions of the country. This storm is being labeled as “one of the most powerful typhoons to hit the area in the last decade,” according to officials from the Vietnamese meteorological service.
Before reaching Vietnam, Yagi had already caused damage in China’s Hainan province, where it resulted in the deaths of three people and injured nearly 100 others. The typhoon made landfall in the coastal provinces of Quang Ninh and Haiphong, with wind gusts reported to peak at 149 km/h.
Tragically, a woman was killed in Hanoi when strong winds toppled a tree. In preparation for the storm’s arrival, hundreds of cruises at the UNESCO World Heritage site Ha Long Bay were canceled. Haiphong, recognized as an industrial center and home to key factories including EV manufacturer VinFast, bore the brunt of the storm as well.
As Yagi swept through, it caused widespread power outages across Quang Ninh and Thai Binh provinces. Prior to the storm’s arrival, government officials had issued several warnings, prompting evacuation orders for those in flood-prone areas. Four airports, including those in Hanoi and Haiphong, were shut down to ensure public safety.
In a bid to mitigate damage, city workers in Hanoi pruned trees to reduce the risk of them toppling during the storm. However, despite these efforts, high winds and heavy rains still managed to uproot several trees and topple billboards, while many boats that were anchored were swept into the sea.
Impact on China’s Hainan Province
China’s Hainan province was struck by Yagi earlier on Friday, particularly affecting the city of Wenchang, where wind speeds approached 245 km/h near the storm’s center. According to local reports, the typhoon resulted in three fatalities, over 95 injuries, and impacted more than 1.2 million residents by noon on Saturday.
In anticipation of the storm, approximately 420,000 residents of Hainan were evacuated, and the authorities in Guangdong province also relocated around half a million more people before Yagi made a subsequent landfall in Xuwen County on Friday night. As the storm moved away from Haikou, local meteorological officials downgraded the typhoon warning from red to orange.
In Hong Kong, Yagi forced more than 270 individuals to seek shelter as heavy rains and strong winds downed numerous trees, leading to the cancellation of over 100 flights. The storm significantly disrupted daily life, causing a halt in trading at the stock exchange and the closure of schools and banking services.
Prior to its intensification into a typhoon, Yagi had already impacted the northwestern Philippines, resulting in at least 20 fatalities and leaving 26 people missing, primarily due to landslides and severe flooding. Over 2.3 million individuals in northern and central regions of the Philippines were affected, and upwards of 82,200 people were displaced as a result of the disaster.
Experts have noted that the warming of ocean waters—driven by climate change—feeds the intensity of storms, contributing to a rise in severe typhoons, particularly in Southeast Asia. A recent UN climate change report emphasizes the increasing frequency of intense cyclones as a pressing concern for the region.
Source
www.cbc.ca