China's multiple authorities have mobilized emergency response efforts as the impacts of the Super Typhoon Yagi persist.
Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, made landfall twice on Friday, first striking Hainan Province and later Guangdong Province.
As of 3 p.m. on Saturday, Super Typhoon Yagi has killed four people and injured 95 others in south China's Hainan Province, local authorities said at a press conference on Saturday evening.
The impact of Typhoon Yagi caused this vessel to tilt and take on water in Beihai City in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, September 7, 2024. /CFP
More than 526,000 people across Hainan have been affected by the typhoon, according to the provincial emergency management department.
So far, losses in highway facilities, water transportation, road transportation, civil aviation and ongoing transport projects across Hainan have climbed to 728 million yuan ($102.6 million). Among these losses, 26 national and provincial trunk roads and 103 other highways, totaling more than 400 kilometers, have been damaged. Waterway passenger stations and equipment have suffered severe damage, while airports and key and ongoing related construction projects have also incurred losses.
Preliminary statistics show that more than 25,000 houses in the city were damaged and nearly one-third of the city's roads were impassable due to fallen trees. Meanwhile, 65 percent of the city's 10-kilovolt power lines experienced power outages, and 792 communication base stations were damaged, with a power outage rate of 82.3 percent.
A total of 61,000 sanitation workers and 6,300 vehicles were deployed across Hainan, and order was to be restored by 6 p.m. on Saturday. Fourteen thousand tonnes of garbage brought by the typhoon were cleared, and some 142,000 fallen trees across the province were dealt with.
In Guangdong Province, Yagi had forced the relocation of 729,954 people by noon on Saturday, according to the provincial flood, drought and typhoon control authorities.
Yagi has also wreaked havoc in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, forcing the evacuation of about 60,000 residents. As of 11 a.m. on Saturday, over 107,000 households remained without power.
China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Saturday activated a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in Yunnan, and sent a working group to the province to provide guidance and support.
On the same day, the headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) coordinated with the Ministry of Water Resources and other government organs to jointly instruct on the repair of damaged infrastructure and to ensure aid was provided to the affected residents.
They also urged local efforts in the relocation and resettlement of affected residents and the preparations for rescue operations.
MEM has stressed the need to prevent secondary disasters, improve rainfall forecast and early warning and enhance information release to respond promptly to public concerns.
As of September 7, Typhoon Yagi rapidly weakened from a strong typhoon to a tropical storm. From 8 a.m. on Sunday to 8 a.m. on Monday, coastal areas in western Hainan and of Guangxi will experience gales of magnitudes between six and seven. Heavy to torrential rains are expected in parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, as well as in regions of Qinghai and Shanxi. Some of these areas may also experience short-term intense rainfall, with local thunderstorms, strong winds, and other severe convective weather conditions.