Vietnam announced plans to evacuate more than 586,000 residents and ordered all boats to remain ashore, while China’s southern resort city of Sanya shut down businesses and suspended public transport on Sunday (Aug 24) as Typhoon Kajiki intensified.
China’s National Meteorological Center reported that the storm is expected to “brush past” the southern coast of Hainan Island on Sunday evening before heading toward Vietnam.
According to Vietnam’s national weather agency, as of 5pm, winds had strengthened to 166km/h.
Authorities in Vietnam are preparing large-scale evacuations across Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Hue, and Danang provinces, where Kajiki is forecast to make landfall early Monday. The government warned residents in affected areas not to go outdoors after 10pm on Sunday, and deployed soldiers to assist with emergency operations.
Seven coastal provinces have already banned boats from leaving shore, according to Tien Phong newspaper.
Vietnam Airlines cancelled at least 22 flights to and from central cities on Sunday and Monday. Vietjet Aviation also announced cancellations and delays without specifying details.
In Sanya, a city known for its beaches and resorts, authorities closed tourist attractions, shuttered shops, and suspended public transportation as precautionary measures.
