Man killed as typhoon Yagi fells 2,800 trees in Hanoi

Typhoon Yagi, which initially unleashed its fury along the northern coastline of Vietnam, made its way inland, leaving a trail of destruction across several provinces before weakening over Hanoi late Saturday evening.

The storm claimed another life in the capital. A 22-year-old man was fatally struck by a fallen tree on Tran Duy Hung Street, raising the number of fatalities due to fallen trees in Hanoi over the past two days to three. The city has recorded nearly 2,800 trees uprooted due to the impact of typhoon Yagi, with the destruction extending to 13 cars, six motorbikes, nine houses, and over 6,000 hectares of rice and other crops.

The storm, which packed winds of up to 149 km per hour when it made landfall, saw its strength diminish as it moved westward.

By 10 p.m., the typhoon's winds had dropped to between 62 and 88 km per hour as it lay centered in Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc and Thai Nguyen provinces. The calm that followed the storm’s passage was described by residents as "eerily quiet," a stark contrast to the hours of violent weather that had just passed.

Hanoi, the nation’s capital, began feeling the impact of typhoon Yagi around 7 p.m., as the storm's outer bands brought heavy downpours and powerful gales. The storm caused widespread power outages in suburban districts. Trees were uprooted, windows shattered, and several roads in districts like Bac Tu Liem, Nam Tu Liem, and Ha Dong became inundated, with water levels reaching up to 50 cm in some areas.

As the typhoon approached its peak intensity over Hanoi at around 8 p.m., with winds reaching 102 km per hour, buildings across the city shook. In Nam Tu Liem District, some families used sofas and chairs to reinforce doors and windows against the storm’s powerful gusts.

The storm's onslaught caused significant disruptions to the power grid. By 10 p.m., Vietnam Electricity (EVN) Hanoi reported 91 blackout incidents affecting more than 124,400 people across the capital. However, the company assured the public that it had deployed 2,000 employees to restore power as soon as the storm passed.

While Hanoi struggled with the storm’s impacts, coastal areas like Quang Ninh and Hai Phong where the storm made landfall bore the brunt earlier in the day. Quang Ninh, home to the UNESCO World Heritage site Ha Long Bay, cut off power to over 274,000 residents for safety reasons. In Hai Phong, power was similarly cut off after the storm felled trees, threatening the grid and public safety. In Thai Binh, the storm affected power for around 570,000 people.

In Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, and Thai Binh, hundreds of trees were uprooted, and several roofs were blown off by the strong winds. Six vessels were reported sunk in Quang Ninh, and floating fishing cages were damaged as the storm made its way inland.

As the storm weakened, its impact on the affected communities is being estimated as recovery efforts continue.