Super Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm to hit this part of the world in many years has wreaked havoc in several countries but the most affected country is Vietnam. Landing on September 7, 2024, Yagi has led to floodings, destructions of infrastructures, and loss of lives and created the need for immediate assistance, as well as reignited the issue of climate change and preparedness in the affected region.

Vietnam is one of the countries that has been most affected by the storm; Yagi hit coastal cities of Haiphong and Quang Ninh. It had gusting winds of up to 90 mph at the time of landfall, making it the most powerful storm to strike the country for three decades.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting recorded a rainfall of 8. from 2 to 17 inches in some areas within the first 24 hours which resulted in major flood in Hanoi and other communities along the Red River. People living in the lowland areas were advised to move to higher grounds because flood levels reached three feet and above.

Although some of the communication lines have been affected, making it hard to provide detailed damage estimates, it is believed that at least 3,300 homes and nearly 300,000 acres of crops have been destroyed in northern Vietnam. The military has been involved in relief and rebuilding, however, because of the low rates of insurance, the rebuilding will be costly and largely dependent on government and charity.

Typhoon Yagi affected not only Vietnam but also several other countries of the South-East Asia region. In China, where the storm struck twice and hit Hainan Island as the Category 4 storm, four people were killed, and 95 were injured. More than one million people had to be evacuated; the island’s important tourist infrastructure was severely affected. Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines were also affected in one way or the other with some losing their lives, floods and losses of properties and infrastructure.

Typhoon Yagi which recently hit the Philippines has once again brought into the limelight the question of climate change and its used in increasing the strength of tropical storms. The researchers and the activists have urged the authorities to take even more severe steps to make people in the communities prepare themselves for similar calamities in the future. The sharp deepening of Yagi as it traversed between the Philippines and China has been compared to other recent typhoons and has lead to questions about the frequency and strength of such disasters.

While the rebuilding of the affected countries is a process that will take a long time the international community is being asked to come in and help. It means that a large amount of efforts, time and finances will be needed to restore the damaged infrastructures, agriculture and housing. Furthermore, the effect on the tourism based economy regions such as Hainan Island in China may lead to long term economic consequences for the country.

Typhoon Yagi is a testimony to the fact that coastal regions remain prone to phenomenons such as extreme weather and the need to enhance on disaster preparedness and climate change measures. It will take days and weeks to reveal the extent of the damage and the measures that need to be taken in response to this disaster will define the policies of the region and the principles of cooperation in disaster planning for years.