Super Typhoon Yagi Brings Destruction to China, Evacuates 1 Million People

Super Typhoon Yagi made two landfalls on mainland China, forcing the evacuation of around 1 million people. According to reports from local media outlets, including China Central Television (CCTV), on the 7th (local time), Yagi landed on the coast of Wenchang City, Hainan Island, southern China, at around 4:20 PM the previous day, and then returned to Xuwen County, Guangdong Province, at around 10:20 PM the same day.

Wind speeds in the center of the storm exceeded 200 kilometers per hour, causing traffic to be halted in the area and schools to be closed. About 420,000 people in Hainan Province and 574,000 people in Guangdong Province were evacuated.

There are currently no known casualties or property damage. However, local Chinese media posted many photos and videos showing parked cars overturned and rolled three times due to the typhoon, and windows of apartments and commercial buildings were broken.

A woman walking down the street with her child was seen sliding down the street as she could not withstand the strong winds, and a street tree was uprooted. “The sky was dark, it was raining hard, and the ground and buildings were shaking,” said Zhang Chuncheng, a resident of Haikou City in Hainan Province. “I’ve lived in Hainan for 19 years, and this is only the third time we’ve seen such a big typhoon.”

China’s meteorological authorities warned of caution as they forecasted that Typhoon Yagi would make its third landfall in the afternoon of the same day, near Fangcheng Port in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the northern coast of Vietnam. Typhoon Yagi is expected to hit Vietnam and Laos this weekend.