Medical workers in Hainan safely deliver baby despite dangerous typhoon conditions

A team of medical professionals in south China's Hainan Province managed to safely deliver a baby that required a rare blood type transfusion despite the dangerous conditions brought by Typhoon Yagi.

Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, made landfall twice on Friday, first striking Hainan Province and later the neighboring Guangdong Province.

According to the Central Meteorological Observatory, Yagi weakened into a tropical storm on Saturday night. The observatory lifted the yellow alert for Yagi at 06:00 on Sunday.

A 37-year-old woman with multiple pregnancy complications urgently needed O-RhD negative blood for an imminent delivery in Dongfang city, as the typhoon reached its peak on Friday night.

"In the evening of September 6, when the typhoon was at its peak, we received an emergency blood application from the People's Hospital of Dongfang City. A pregnant woman with with blood type O-RhD-negative was in deep labor and needed a blood donation," said Liang Zhenhong, deputy head of the Hainan Blood Center blood supply department.

The blood center, about 220 kilometers away, responded swiftly and readied the blood for delivery very soon. However, severe flooding from Yagi blocked standard delivery routes.

The delivery team set out on Saturday before dawn, facing numerous obstacles including fallen trees on highways. They were forced to take detours and clear roads using professional equipment they had brought.

After a grueling journey lasting several hours, on early Saturday morning, the life-saving blood reached a local blood center in Danzhou City, from where it was relayed to the hospital in Dongfang.

The patient successfully received the transfusion and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, hospital officials confirmed.

In a separate incident on Friday night, medical staff at a maternity hospital in the provincial capital Haikou acted as human shields to protect patients from debris after the typhoon shattered multiple windows.

The windows were soon sealed with planks and medical staff held the corridor gate against the wind outside, evacuating lying-in women with the help of families.

"We had no time to consider our own safety, all we thought about was how to keep the mother and baby safe. We are medical workers, we always have people on duty. Even if we get hurt, we still have personnel to help out." said Han Manlin, head nurse in obstetrics and gynecology at the Haikou Hospital of Maternal and Child Health.

At another hospital in Haikou, windows in the ICU were almost blown off by strong wind, which saw medical staff holding tight the windows against the howling storm, protecting expectant mothers in labor.

The typhoon, one of the strongest to hit Hainan in years, caused widespread disruption and property damage across the island province, a popular tourist destination often referred to as "China's Hawaii".

Medical workers in Hainan safely deliver baby despite dangerous typhoon conditions

Truck drivers and their cargoes sought refuge in a Shanghai activity hub as Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest typhoon to hit the city in decades, made landfall on Monday morning, unleashing heavy rains and winds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour.

In the Pudong District, situated on the southeastern tip of Shanghai, the impact of Typhoon Bebinca was stark, with trees and road signs uprooted, construction sites disrupted, and bicycles scattered across the ground.

Shanghai is not prone to strong typhoons, but local authorities have made emergency plans.

In Lingang Special Area, an activity hub was transformed into a temporary shelter for over 130 truck drivers and their cargoes.

"With such strong winds, it's not safe to park my truck on the street. Trees could fall. Parking here is a safer choice. The service is good here. It's clean, and it also provides food. We can take a shower here," said Wang Shaodong, a truck driver from east China's Anhui Province.

"The Donghai Bridge has been closed, as the typhoon is approaching. That's why we came here. They provide us with bedding, and air conditioners were turned on. So we are staying here. There are also meals downstairs," said Gong Xiangge, a hazardous cargo driver from east China's Shandong Province.

"We call these truck drivers 'men living on wheels.' The 13th typhoon [of this year] brought gales, with maximum wind speed reaching 36.9 meters per second, so danger may come at any time. So staying on the side of the street is unsafe for both trucks and drivers," said Fan Jianrong, deputy director of Lingang Special Area Investment Holding Group.

Although traffic resumed on all roads and bridges across Shanghai starting from 20:00 on Monday, precautions are still in place as Typhoon Pulasan, the 14th of the year, has formed in the northeastern Pacific and could follow a similar path to Typhoon Bebinca.

The director of the center said that the shelter remains open to those in need, ensuring that assistance is readily available for individuals affected by the poor weather.

Truck drivers seek shelter as powerful typhoon hits Shanghai