China's tropical island province of Hainan recovers from super typhoon

HAIKOU, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — China's southernmost province of Hainan is recovering from the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yagi. Workers are repairing damaged facilities and draining roads from floodwaters, while airports in Sanya and Haikou have reopened.

Yagi, China's strongest autumn typhoon since 1949, hit Hainan on Friday, leaving at least four dead and 95 injured.

Over the past few days, government officials, firefighters, police officers and citizens have worked tirelessly to restore normalcy across the province.

“More than 300 volunteer party members were mobilized this morning to clear uprooted trees and clean the flooded streets,” Chen Hong, a cadre from Xiuying subdistrict in the provincial capital Haikou, said on Saturday.

Markets, taxis, ride-sharing services and buses in Haikou resumed operations on Saturday evening. Companies, factories and construction sites were allowed to reopen on Sunday.

“We want to help everyone in need and have not increased prices by a single cent,” said Zhou Chongsheng, a local shop owner.

Despite these efforts, 769,000 households in Hainan were without power by Sunday evening. More than 10,000 repair workers from Guangdong, Guizhou and Guangxi were dispatched to help. 63,000 residents of Haikou continued to suffer from water shortages. Telecommunications services across the province are expected to return to normal by Tuesday.

Schools are also badly affected. Across the province, 2,085 schools are without water or electricity. Authorities want to reopen over 80 percent of schools by Monday. However, the reopening of schools with more serious damage will be postponed, said Chen Zhenhua, deputy head of the provincial education authority.

Efforts to clear debris and restore infrastructure are ongoing. At a kindergarten in Haikou, headmistress Ding Ying called together teachers and local volunteers to clear fallen trees and prepare the playground for the children's return.

“We plan to build small benches for the children out of tree stumps,” said Ding.

Despite the destruction, there is also encouraging news: 247 healthy “typhoon babies” were born in Haikou last week. Since September 3, Hainan has opened special obstetric facilities to ensure safe births. In Haikou alone, almost 900 pregnant women have the opportunity to stay overnight in hospitals free of charge.

“The local government has made thorough preparations,” said Ye Baoquan, party secretary of Pulong village in Wenchang city. “The temporary shelters were equipped with emergency supplies such as folding beds, food, generators and life jackets. Rescue teams were on standby, which gave everyone a greater sense of security.”

The Hainan provincial government dispatched 18 senior officials to oversee local emergency response efforts. Over 460,000 residents have been evacuated and over 34,000 fishing boats have been returned to port.

In China, members of the Chinese Communist Party are often at the forefront of reconstruction efforts and lead by example through their active involvement, especially during crises such as natural disasters.

In 2014, super typhoon Rammasun caused major damage in Hainan, but was surpassed by Yagi in both the intensity and duration of its impact, experts say.

The agriculture, livestock and fishing industries suffered an estimated 11.95 billion yuan (about 1.68 billion U.S. dollars) in losses following Super Typhoon Yagi. Seven rescue teams have been dispatched to the worst-hit areas to provide post-disaster relief in Hainan.

Cao Shuyu, deputy director of the Hainan Provincial Finance Department, said about 1.19 billion yuan would be earmarked for disaster relief and reconstruction.

Fishermen have begun cleaning their boats and evacuated residents are returning home.

“We have made the necessary preparations and thereby minimized our losses,” said Wang Youchun, a fisherman from Haikou. “Now we are all working together to prepare for the next trip to sea.”