Large parts of Hainan Province in south China have been battered by heavy rain and strong winds as Typhoon Kajiki weakens and moves toward Vietnam, prompting widespread disruption and emergency response efforts.
China's national observatory activated a yellow alert -- the third-highest level in its four-tier color-coded weather warning system -- for this year's 13th typhoon Kajiki on Monday, forecasting gales and rainstorms in the country's southern and southwestern regions through Tuesday.
The National Meteorological Center (NMC) reported that as of Monday morning, Typhoon Kajiki was positioned in the southern Beibu Gulf waters, moving west-northwest at 15-20 kilometers per hour with expected landfall in coastal Vietnam Monday night.
Due to its impact, from 14:00 Monday to 14:00 Tuesday, strong winds will affect the western part of the South China Sea and waters near Xisha Islands, Beibu Gulf and Qiongzhou Strait, as well as the coastal areas of Hainan, Guangxi and Guangdong.
The NMC urged local authorities to implement emergency preparedness measures for the typhoon, and potential flooding and geological disasters triggered by the heavy rainfall.
The center of Typhoon Kajiki passed coastal waters near Hainan's Sanya and Ledong Li Autonomous County on Sunday night, with the maximum wind force near the center reaching the 14th grade, which represents a speed of about 45 meters per second. Heavy to torrential rain fell in central and southern Hainan, with particularly severe downpours reported in Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, Lingshui Li Autonomous County, Sanya City and Wuzhishan City.
As Kajiki gradually move away, Hainan downgraded the typhoon warning from level I to level III at 07:00 on Monday, but its southern part is still experiencing significant wind and rain conditions.
Sanya has been experiencing continuous rainfalls fluctuating in intensity since Sunday evening, with several road sections being blocked by fallen trees.
According to local authorities, a total of 16 roads have been affected by trees broken by the wind. Since last night, firefighting and rescue forces from other cities in the province have been rushing to Sanya to assist with urgent road clearance efforts.
Typhoon Kajiki batters southern Hainan, triggers road closures, emergency response
