Typhoon Yagi Devastates Vietnam and Southern China

Typhoon Yagi Strikes Vietnam and Southern China

Typhoon Yagi surged toward Vietnam on Saturday, unleashing powerful winds and torrential rain that have already claimed at least one life prior to its landfall. Before reaching Vietnam, the storm wreaked havoc in southern China, prompting the evacuation of roughly one million residents and resulting in at least two fatalities.

As the storm approached, it was expected to become the most intense storm on record to hit northern Vietnam, with forecasts indicating a landfall near the coastal city of Haiphong, followed by a trajectory toward Hanoi, according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Reports from state media confirmed that one person had died in Hanoi, the nation’s capital, on Friday due to the storm’s impact.

Characterized as equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, Typhoon Yagi boasted maximum sustained winds of 132 miles per hour as it advanced westward across the Gulf of Tonkin on Saturday morning. After weakening over southern China, the storm has rapidly regained strength, signaling a potential “historical landfall” in the region.

Yagi has been recognized as the strongest typhoon to strike Hainan in a decade, claiming two lives according to Chinese state media. The storm caused significant disruptions, rattling high-rise buildings, shattering windows, toppling trucks, uprooting trees, and inundating homes. Reports from state media highlighted the storm’s ferocity, with over two tons of rocks washed ashore onto the sea wall in Xuwen County, Guangdong Province.

The Chinese government has labeled Yagi as “extremely destructive,” with more than 830,000 customers losing power and numerous injuries reported in Hainan following the storm’s landfall on Friday. In response to the impending danger, authorities evacuated about one million individuals from Hainan and Guangdong provinces, prioritizing public safety amid the escalating crisis.