News Mania Desk/Piyal Chatterjee / 7th September 2024
The strongest storm to hit Asia this year, Super Typhoon Yagi, has made landfall in northern Vietnam.
With gusts of up to 203 km/h (126 mph), the storm made landfall in the provinces of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh early on Saturday, according to the Indo-Pacific Tropical Cyclone Warning Center.
Metal roof sheets and commercial sign boards were reportedly spotted flying around Hai Phong, according to news agency AFP.
Yagi made landfall on the popular tourist island of Hainan, sometimes referred to as China’s Hawaii, on Friday. The typhoon has caused roughly 100 injuries and at least three deaths in China.
The two million-person city of Hai Phong, which is located on the northern Vietnamese coast, has been hit hardest by the storm.
Parts of the city, which is home to multinational manufacturers, experienced power disruptions on Saturday, and four airports in the north had to cease operations for the most of the day.
Authorities in Vietnam have ordered nearly 50,000 people to stay indoors after they issued a stay-in caution for coastal cities.
Twelve northern provinces, including the capital Hanoi, have closed their schools.
In advance of Yagi’s arrival on Friday, China evacuated almost 400,000 residents from Hainan island. Schools were closed, and there were no flights, trains, or boats operating.
Approximately 830,000 households were impacted by the severe power outages, according to local media. Important crops have also been destroyed.
Social media videos posted in China depict windows being torn out of tower blocks located in Hainan.
A Category 5 hurricane is equal to a super typhoon.
Since it made landfall in the northern Philippines early this week, Yagi, the second-strongest typhoon of the year, has intensified twice as much. At least 13 people were killed in the northern Philippines by floods and landslides caused by Yagi, forcing hundreds of residents to flee to safer ground.
According to scientists, climate change is making typhoons and storms stronger and more frequent. Higher wind speeds are caused by storms gaining more energy due to warmer ocean waters.Additionally, a warmer environment retains more moisture, which may result in heavier rainstorms.
