By Fiona Espinoza-Castro
Staff Writer
Typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest storms of 2024, struck near Haiphong, Vietnam, on Sept. 7 around 1:45 p.m., according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC.
The typhoon's intensity was reported to be near that of a category 4 hurricane; no storm has ever hit Vietnam with such force, according to the New York Times.
According to the Times, winds reached up to 127 miles per hour, making it the strongest storm in 30 years. In the first 24 hours, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, CDP, reported 8.2 to 17 inches of rain. The typhoon triggered flash floods and landslides, caused damage to bridges and uprooted trees, affecting many areas.
The Times also reported that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered cities and provinces in northern Vietnam to make storm preparations as Typhoon Yagi approached. The IFRC reported that around 50,000 citizens evacuated their homes. Factories closed on Saturday afternoon, sending 14,000 workers home after the typhoon caused major power outages.
Haiphong and Quang Ninh, key manufacturing hubs and trade cities, were hit the hardest, according to the Times. Vessels in Quang Ninh were swept away with crew members on board, resulting in one sailor’s death and the disappearance of several workers. This could impact the global supply chain, as Vietnam ships to Europe, the United States and several other countries, as reported by France24.
Around 9 p.m., the storm’s eye passed through Hanoi, with moderate to heavy rain levels ranging from 1.97-3.94 inches and even 5.91 inches, as the local Government Electronic Newspaper reported. To prevent heavy rains from flooding urban areas and industrial zones, capital officials introduced nine drainage pumping stations with 32 pumps.
Despite weakening by early Sunday morning to a tropical depression, the meteorological agency of Vietnam warned of potential landslides and floods afterward. The following Wednesday, according to the Times, a landslide occurred in Lao Cai, a mountainous area of Vietnam, with search and rescue teams recovering 22 bodies. A local officer reported it to be the deadliest landslide Typhoon Yagi caused.
Several bridges collapsed, including one near Hanoi, which left eight people missing. CNN recovered video from a car dashcam capturing the moment a bridge collapsed over the Red River in the Phu Tho area. PBS noted that three people were rescued a day before the bridge collapsed; however, they were unable to save 13 others.
The storm led to nearly 190,000 homes being damaged or destroyed by floods, 325 people deceased or missing, and around 1.6 million people who were overall affected. Typhoon Yagi’s effects included loss of water supply, power outages, displacement and communication loss, as reported by the IFRC.
After the typhoon, the Red Cross Society in Vietnam organized relief items like medicine and food. The IFRC detailed that many Red Cross staff and volunteers helped out cleaning up the debris the typhoon left. Meanwhile, disaster response teams conducted tests throughout the affected areas, offering several victims shelter and psychological first aid.
The typhoon’s effects shed light on a growing concern: the influence of climate change on natural disasters. Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, reported that typhoons like Yagi are only getting stronger because of climate change, according to PBS. Warmer ocean waters provide more energy to fuel the storms, increasing the number of casualties.
Typhoons in the area of Vietnam are common, but nowhere near the level of Yagi’s extensive damage. Recovery efforts are underway, as officials continue to examine the full extent of damage caused by Yagi. The storm’s impact has left thousands of Vietnamese people displaced and devastated vital areas, marking one of the most severe Typhoons in Vietnam's history.
