The southern Chinese tourist city of Tam A has closed all entertainment areas, restaurants, supermarkets and suspended public transport as Typhoon Kajiki is forecast to strengthen and approach. The local government also issued a red alert, the highest level in China's warning system, while raising the emergency response to the most serious level.
According to the latest typhoon forecast from the China National Meteorological Center, on the afternoon of August 24, Typhoon Kajiki was about 200km southeast of Tam A with winds near the center reaching 136 km/h and could increase to 172 km/h as it moved northwest at a speed of 20 km/h. The storm is expected to make landfall on the southern coast of Hainan Island or move along the coast before heading towards Vietnam.
The meteorological agency warns that heavy rain and strong winds will cover Hainan Island and the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. Some areas in Hainan may experience up to 400mm of rain. To cope, classes and construction works have been suspended, while ships have been forced to stop operating in the Tam A sea area.
The city government has previously held an emergency meeting, calling for preparation for the worst situation and setting a goal of avoiding casualties. The lifting of the ban will be based on the actual impact of the storm.
The three seasons are one of China's most popular tourist destinations, attracting 34 million visitors in 2024. However, recent extreme weather events have severely affected many localities.
In July alone, floods and droughts caused direct economic losses of more than 52.15 billion yuan ($7.2 billion), affecting millions of people and leaving 295 people dead or missing, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
According to the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 1:00 p.m. on August 24, the center of storm No. 5 was at 17.4 degrees North latitude, 110.3 degrees East longitude, in the northwest sea of Hoang Sa special zone; 520km from Nghe An, Ha Tinh 500km, Bac Quang Tri 430km. The strongest wind is level 13 (134-149km/h), gusting to level 15; moving west at 20km/h, and is likely to strengthen.
