BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged beefed-up disaster relief efforts after Super Typhoon Yagi struck the country’s southern region.
Yagi, the 11th typhoon of this year, made landfalls in the provinces of Hainan and Guangdong on Friday, leaving three people dead and 95 others injured.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, demanded efforts to ensure the safety of people’s lives and their property.
He called for mobilizing rescue efforts, handling well the relocation and resettlement of affected people, preventing secondary disasters, and making every effort to minimize casualties.
Xi also urged swift repair of damaged infrastructure, including transportation, electricity and communication systems, and demanded active post-disaster reconstruction to restore normal order of life and work as soon as possible.
Li Qiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese premier, called for efforts to closely monitor the typhoon movement and fully implement various preventive measures against disaster.
The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has dispatched working groups to Hainan and Guangdong to guide the rescue efforts.
The typhoon has affected over 1.2 million people in Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and caused widespread power and communication outages for many users, as well as the collapse of some houses.
Currently, power and communication have been partially restored.
Super Typhoon Yagi hits again, 1 million residents relocated
Super Typhoon Yagi made its second landfall in Xuwen County, Zhanjiang City, in south China’s Guangdong Province, around 10:20 p.m. on Friday, according to the provincial meteorological bureau.
Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, has intensified into a super typhoon at level 17. The maximum wind force near its center reached 208.8 kilometers per hour when the typhoon made its second landfall in Guangdong.
A large tree fell on the streets of Jiaji Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province, September 6, 2024. /CFP
Around 4:20 p.m. on Friday, the typhoon made landfall in Wengtian Township, Wenchang City, in south China’s Hainan Province, with winds exceeding 234 kilometers per hour.
As of Friday noon, the typhoon had caused over 574,511 residents in Guangdong to be relocated, including 407,064 in Zhanjiang, where the typhoon made its second landfall. All 84,873 fishing boats had sought shelter in harbors.
By 2:30 p.m., 72 of Guangdong’s 94 waterway passenger routes had been suspended. Additionally, a total of 141.5 pairs of high-speed railway trains were suspended. Schools in 10 cities across the province were also temporarily closed.
Typhoon Yagi made landfall in Qionghai City, south China’s Hainan Province, as people braved the strong winds and heavy rain while traveling outdoors, September 6, 2024. /CFP
Previously, Hainan had relocated 419,367 residents before Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall in the province. Operations at 89 tourist attractions across Hainan were suspended and traffic on roads, bridges and tunnels was temporarily shut down in multiple cities.
It is forecast that Yagi will continue moving northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour, then enter the Beibu Gulf region, where its intensity is expected to diminish. It is expected to make another landfall around the China-Vietnam border on Saturday afternoon, after which its wind force is likely to rapidly decrease, according to Guangdong’s meteorological bureau.
