Typhoon Yagi tests response measures

Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall in the coastal area of Wenchang, Hainan province, on Friday afternoon, with wind speeds reaching level 17.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall across most of the island, while the northern part of Hainan experienced strong winds ranging from level 13 to 16, and some cities and counties faced power and water outages.

The storm lashed Hong Kong from Thursday evening, resulting in nine injuries, 50 canceled flights, suspended schools, and halted stock trading. The city's public transport system — including buses, flights, subway trains and ferries — gradually resumed operations on Friday afternoon.

Hainan issued a Level I typhoon warning on Thursday, signaling the highest alert for typhoon prevention and response measures. Classes, work, transportation and businesses were suspended in parts of the province, some tourist attractions were closed and all flights at the international airports in Haikou and Sanya were suspended on Friday.

On Thursday, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction sent 70,000 disaster relief items such as folding beds, towel quilts and emergency family packs to the South China provinces of Hainan and Guangdong. These supplies are intended to support potential emergency evacuation and relocation efforts for affected residents.

Hainan province implemented precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its residents. On Friday, 419,323 people in the province were relocated to safeguard lives and property.

In Wenchang, efforts were made to evacuate residents from at-risk areas. Elderly individuals and children from villages in Puqian town were relocated to a safe site on Thursday, where they were provided with accommodation and a nutritious five-dish dinner.

The residents of Wenchang also acted promptly to protect their local Wenchang chickens by moving them to safe locations on Thursday. Internet users remarked that "essential provisions" had been successfully evacuated.

In Haikou's Meilan district, an emergency team was formed to relocate over 600 residents from Beigang Island in the northeastern part of Haikou on Thursday.

Huang Buzheng, a resident of Bodu village in Meilan district, is the father of a 2-day-old baby. When officers arrived at their home to aid in their relocation, he said he immediately felt a sense of security, likening their assistance to that of brothers coming to help.

Officials in Xinpo town, Longhua district have been conducting inspections in low-lying areas and assisting elderly individuals living alone in facilitating their evacuation.

"For the elderly who may struggle to move, we help them pack essential belongings and then transport them to a resettlement area equipped with basic necessities and services," said Zhang Xiaomei, an official from the Xinpo town.

Residents of Haikou have taken their own precautions, such as strengthening doors and reinforcing windows with tape and storing essential supplies like food, drinking water and power banks.

To ensure a stable and sufficient supply, Hainan province has stockpiled 11,992 metric tons of vegetables, which can fulfill the demand of the entire province for over four days, according to the Department of Commerce of Hainan province.

The typhoon is expected to continue in a west-northwest direction, passing through Wenchang, Haikou, Chengmai and Lingao cities and counties in Hainan before entering the Beibu Gulf from late night Friday to early morning Saturday.

By Friday noon, 574,511 people living in places prone to typhoon-triggered disasters had been evacuated in Guangdong.

Contact the writers at chenbowen@chinadaily.com.cn