HAIKOU, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- As of 3 p.m. Saturday, Super Typhoon Yagi has killed four people and injured 95 others in south China's Hainan Province, local authorities said at a press conference on Saturday evening.
More than 526,000 people across Hainan have been affected by the typhoon, according to the provincial emergency management department.
Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, made landfall twice on Friday, first striking Hainan Province and later Guangdong Province.
Most areas in Hainan have been affected to varying degrees, resulting in losses to infrastructure, industries and agriculture, and impacting the production and lives of residents, according to the press conference.
So far, losses in highway facilities, water transportation, road transportation, civil aviation and ongoing transport projects across Hainan have climbed to a total of 728 million yuan (about 102.6 million U.S. dollars). Among these losses, 26 national and provincial trunk roads and 103 other highways, totaling more than 400 kilometers, have been damaged. Waterway passenger stations and equipment have suffered severe damage, while airports and key, ongoing related construction projects have also incurred losses.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, the provincial capital of Haikou has evacuated some 105,500 residents due to the typhoon, and over 400 houses have collapsed and more than 32,000 houses have been damaged. Over 167,800 trees in the city have been uprooted and 56,742 hectares of crops have been affected, resulting in direct economic losses of more than 26.3 billion yuan.
Notably, 17 townships of Wenchang, the city where the typhoon made its first landfall, suffered a direct hit, which has resulted in very severe disaster losses, said Wei Bo, deputy mayor of Wenchang.
Preliminary statistics show that more than 25,000 houses in the city were damaged and nearly one-third of the city's roads were impassable due to fallen trees. Meanwhile, 65 percent of the city's 10KV power lines experienced power outages and 792 communication base stations were damaged with a power outage rate of 82.3 percent.
Out of Wenchang's 11 water plants, eight stopped water supply due to power outages. In Wenchang alone, the area of the affected crops reached about 270,000 mu (about 18,000 hectares), with about 160,000 mu completely destroyed. The area of forest damage in the city reached about 48,100 hectares, accounting for 46 percent of its total forest coverage. So far, the city's total economic loss caused by Yagi has notched up 32.7 billion yuan, according to Wei.
In order to rapidly restore the order after the disaster, by 6 p.m. Saturday, a total of 61,000 sanitation workers and 6,300 vehicles had been deployed across Hainan. A total of 14,000 tonnes of garbage brought by the typhoon had been cleared and some 142,000 fallen trees across the province had been dealt with.
Currently, the operation of the province's eight waste-to-energy incineration power plants and 294 waste transfer stations remain stable, with ample capacity in the garbage storage facilities, ensuring that the increased volume of garbage due to the typhoon can be promptly disposed of.
In Guangdong Province, Yagi had forced the relocation of 729,954 people by noon on Saturday, according to the provincial flood, drought and typhoon control authorities.
Yagi has also wreaked havoc in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, forcing the evacuation of about 60,000 residents. As of 11 a.m. on Saturday, over 107,000 households remained without power.
On Saturday morning, China's National Meteorological Center renewed its red alert -- its highest alert level -- for Yagi. ■
