Super Typhoon Yagi, recognized as Asia’s most potent storm of 2024, struck northern Vietnam on Saturday with devastating effects. The typhoon, which ranks as the world’s second-most powerful tropical cyclone of the year, arrived with winds reaching 160 kilometers per hour (kph), a notable decrease from its peak intensity of 234 kph observed earlier in Hainan, China.
The impact of Yagi has been catastrophic across several regions. In the Philippines, the storm claimed the lives of at least 16 people before proceeding towards China. Yagi’s passage through Hainan resulted in two fatalities and injuries to dozens more. In Hainan, a southern Chinese island with a population exceeding 10 million, the typhoon uprooted trees, caused widespread flooding, and leftover 800,000 homes without electricity.
Upon reaching Vietnam, Yagi intensified the crisis, causing severe damage in Haiphong, an industrial city with a population of 2 million. The storm led to significant power outages, shattered windows, and extensive destruction of infrastructure. Streets in Haiphong were largely deserted as residents heeded evacuation orders and stayed indoors to avoid the storm’s destructive force.
In response to the disaster, the Vietnamese government launched a major evacuation effort, relocating nearly 50,000 individuals from vulnerable coastal regions. Additionally, around 450,000 military personnel were deployed to assist in emergency operations and disaster response. The government also suspended operations at four major airports, including Hanoi’s Noi Bai, cancelling more than 300 flights. Educational institutions in 12 northern provinces, including the capital Hanoi, were closed as a precautionary measure.
The growing intensity of typhoons like Yagi is closely linked to climate change, with rising ocean temperatures contributing to the increased power and frequency of such storms. This trend was further underscored last week by Typhoon Shanshan, which struck southwestern Japan with unprecedented force, marking it as one of the strongest storms to affect the country in decades.
Named “Yagi” after the Japanese term for “goat” and the constellation Capricornus, the typhoon exemplifies the escalating severity of extreme weather events in the context of global climate shifts. This powerful storm serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for enhanced preparedness and response strategies to mitigate the impacts of increasingly frequent and intense natural disasters.
