Typhoon Terror: Capricorn Brings Fury to Hainan, China, Forcing Mass Evacuation of Over 410,000
Typhoon Capricorn Makes Landfall in China, Bringing Strong Winds and Heavy Rain
Strong Typhoon Capricorn made landfall on the coast of Wenchang, Hainan Province, China at 4:20 pm, with maximum wind force near the center above level 17, making it the strongest autumn storm in China’s history.
Online videos show the devastating impact of Capricorn as it landed on Hainan Island in the afternoon. The waves it set off pushed a 2-ton wave-blocking stone directly onto the seawall, while road trees collapsed one after another, and the roofs of buildings were lifted off. The air conditioner was blown down, and some people took the risk of riding an electric bicycle and were blown over, rolling several meters with the person and the bicycle.
Many Hainanese netizens shared videos on social media, saying that the power of Capricorn was terrifying and that they had never encountered such a strong typhoon before, and urged not to risk going out.
Hainan has launched a Level I emergency response, with over 410,000 people evacuated to avoid danger. The province’s external traffic is completely interrupted, and many roads, bridges, and tunnels have been temporarily closed for traffic control.
The meteorological department predicts that the strong winds, precipitation, and storm surge brought by Capricorn will bring “devastating damage” to the landfall area, and then pass through Haikou, Chengmai, and other places into the Beibu Gulf. Severe flooding is expected to occur in Haikou, with storm water of 150 to 230 centimeters appearing on the northern coast of Hainan Island.
Heavy rainstorms have occurred in most areas of Hainan Island, and some towns and villages have experienced extremely heavy rains. The northern half of Hainan was accompanied by strong winds of magnitude 13 to magnitude 16, causing street greening trees to collapse and power outages to occur in many places.
The Hainan Provincial Meteorological Department predicts that after landing, Capricorn will pass through Haikou, Chengmai, Lingao, and other cities and counties, enter the Beibu Gulf early tomorrow morning, and land again on the coast from Fangchenggang, Guangxi to northern Vietnam in the afternoon, and then gradually weaken in intensity.
The Guangxi Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has upgraded flood control and drought relief (typhoon prevention) to a first-level emergency response, expecting severe wind, rain, and wave impacts to the coastal, southern, and central parts of Guangxi.
Typhoon Capricorn’s Path and Impact
Typhoon Capricorn has entered the South China Sea, with no direct impact on Taiwan. However, nine counties and cities turned on high temperature signals on the 4th. Tropical Storm Capricorn invaded the Philippines and flooded many places, resulting in casualties.