China has evacuated about 400,000 people as one of the year’s strongest storms is expected to hit the popular tourist island of Hainan later on Friday, according to state media.
Trains, boats and flights in the region have been suspended for a second day in a row, and schools remain closed in parts of the southern region as super typhoon Yagi approaches.
Yagi has doubled its force after causing havoc in the northern Philippines earlier this week. Currently, wind speeds near its eye are as high as 240 km/h (150 mph).
Meteorologists said Yagi could cause “catastrophic” damage to Hainan and neighboring Guangdong, China’s most populous province.
The Indo-Pacific Tropical Cyclone Warning Center wrote in a report on Thursday that Yagi was an “extremely dangerous and powerful” super typhoon that would soon bring a “potentially catastrophic” landfall.
A super typhoon is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.
Hainan provincial authorities ordered the closure of all tourist attractions from Wednesday, warning of the possibility of “strong and damaging winds”.
The world’s longest cross-sea bridge, the main bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai in Guangdong, was also closed.
Parts of the region have been hit by heavy rainfall and strong winds since Thursday. The Chinese Meteorological Department predicts rainfall of up to 500 millimeters.
Hainan, with its sandy beaches and clear water, is no stranger to typhoons. However, according to Reuters, only 9 of the 106 typhoons that made landfall in Hainan from 1949 to 2023 were classified as super typhoons.
Chinese authorities believe Yagi will be the strongest typhoon to hit its southern coast in a decade.
Yagi is expected to make another landfall in northern Vietnam late Saturday in a weak state.
Tens of thousands of people in Hai Phong and Thai Binh provinces will be evacuated to safer locations by the end of Friday, AFP reported, citing local authorities.
According to Vietnamese media reports, the military has mobilized about 460,000 officers to help deal with the impact of the storm.
Vietnam’s deputy agriculture minister warned that this could affect areas “vital to the socio-economic development” of the region.
“Carelessness can lead to catastrophic damage,” Nguyen Hoang Hiep said.
Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority said four airports in the country’s north, including Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, will be closed on Saturday in response to the storm.
Floods and landslides brought by Yagi killed at least 13 people in the northern Philippines earlier this week and forced thousands to evacuate to safer places.
scientists say Typhoons and hurricanes become stronger And more frequently with climate change. Warmer waters mean storms absorb more energy, resulting in higher wind speeds.
A warmer atmosphere also holds more moisture, which can lead to more intense rainfall.
Yagi came a week later Typhoon Shanshan hits Japankilling at least six people and injuring hundreds.