Emergency crews in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan has been making progress in recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Typhoon Yagi, with power restored to most major urban areas, essential utilities, and hospitals as of Monday, according to officials.
Speaking at a press conference in Hainan, the officials from the province's emergency command center for Typhoon Yagi said that in addition to the ongoing process of restoring power, crews were also working on restoring communication services and reopening provincial and national highways to two-way traffic.
Authorities said the provincial power grid operator had been maintaining a top-level emergency response to address ongoing challenges. Repair teams are working to restore extensive damage to over 10,000 utility poles and 2,500 kilometers of 10kV power lines. Despite the obstacles, the teams are dedicated to ensuring that educational institutions and businesses can quickly resume work.
The storm knocked out about 29,370 telecommunications base stations across Hainan, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology sending support teams from neighboring provinces to aid in repairs. Service from more than 10,000 damaged stations has resumed so far.
"We have adjusted the operational parameters of unaffected communication base stations to expand coverage and restore basic services in areas that previously had no signal," said Chen Xingwu, deputy director of Hainan's communication administration.
Two-way traffic had been restored on provincial and national highways by Monday afternoon, while county and township roads have been mostly cleared. Public transportation services across the province are gradually resuming operations.
Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, made landfall twice on Friday, first striking Hainan Province and later the neighboring Guangdong Province.
Repairs on Hainan's infrastructure proceeding at pace after Typhoon Yagi
