Hainan Island braces for Yagi
Mainland authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 419,000 residents from their homes as Super Typhoon Yagi approached Hainan Island on Friday. Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, was packing winds of up to 245 kilometres per hour and was expected to make landfall at the city of Wenchang on Friday afternoon, according to the provincial meteorological bureau. Yagi was forecast to move north to the provincial capital of Haikou before moving to the Beibu Gulf, said the bureau. The bureau added that sea levels would surge by 150 to 230 centimetres along the northern coastal area of Hainan Island from Friday noon to Saturday noon, while Haikou was expected to suffer from severe flooding due to the storm surge and heavy rainfall. Operations at multiple tourist attractions have been suspended and traffic control measures have been implemented in the province. (Xinhua/AFP)