On the afternoon of September 6, Typhoon “Capricorn” made landfall in Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, with a maximum wind speed of 17 levels, causing residents of high-rise buildings to express their inability to withstand the strong winds. Many residents complained of feeling unstable, dizzy, and some were frightened enough to take their children to underground shelters.
Around 4:20 pm on September 6, Typhoon “Capricorn” landed in Wenchang, Hainan, with the central wind force reaching level 17, equivalent to over 62 meters per second. According to the meteorological bureau, “Capricorn” is moving northwest, passing through Wenchang and Haikou, and is expected to move over the Beibu Gulf from late night to early morning.
On that day, Wenchang faced a combination of typhoon and heavy rain, with reports from local media stating that the rain hitting the face was extremely painful, and it was difficult to keep the eyes open. The roadside guardrails were blown down in rows, and many thick trees were uprooted.
Many locals recorded videos of the ferocity of the typhoon. The guardrails along the coast were blown away, and pedestrians who couldn’t escape in time had to lie down on the ground behind flower beds to shield themselves from the direct wind. Many areas experienced water and power outages, including hotels.
The roof of an electric car shed next to a high-rise building was completely blown away, causing all the electric cars to fall to the ground.
Residents of high-rise buildings dared not stay upstairs as the entire building was swaying. A man who enjoys playing with cars recorded a video describing the feeling of being on the upper floors as akin to experiencing an 8-level earthquake. Therefore, many residents moved to the ground floor lobby and hid in corners to avoid facing the main entrance directly.
An 80s mother in Wenchang, Hainan, stated, “The high-rise building is shaking badly, so we dare not stay in the upper floors anymore; we went to the basement with the children.” However, upon reaching the ground floor, she found that the corridor was already flooded, filled with a foul odor. The decorative walls and ceilings of the hallway had been blown off, exposing electrical wires, posing a serious danger.
A woman living on the 24th floor in Hainan described, “The building is shaking so much that I can’t even stand properly.” Friends offered suggestions, such as going to the underground garage for safety, but some warned against it, fearing seawater backup.
A netizen living on the 22nd floor named “Ayú” also stated that it felt as if they were on a boat, rocking heavily.
Mrs. Huang, a resident on the 26th floor in Hainan, said, “The whole building is swaying, making us dizzy, and there is water accumulating in the living room, with the kitchen ceiling even curling up.” She exclaimed, “Oh my God, oh my God!”
It wasn’t until around 10:30 pm that the wind subsided a bit.
A netizen in the comment section revealed that many people wanted to live stream the event but were immediately banned from doing so. Therefore, they couldn’t showcase the power of the typhoon in Hainan to friends from other regions.
A woman living on the 5th floor in Longhua District expressed, “The windows are broken, and we’ve been without power for five to six hours. The wind outside is really strong, making us afraid even in the safety of our rooms!”
From some circulated videos of residential areas, broken windows were just the beginning. Many high-rise buildings had heavy air conditioning units blown off their sun decks, lying haphazardly on the ground. The window glass and frames of many high-rise residents’ balconies were blown away, causing a chaotic mess inside their homes. Some large glass panes of floor-to-ceiling windows were cracked into frost patterns due to the strong wind.
One netizen from Hainan even expressed feeling on the verge of collapse, stating, “The glass and frame of the large sun balcony on the first floor blew away directly. I dare not go downstairs to take a look; the glass in the study on the second floor is also completely gone. Survival is paramount now; close the doors of each room, block the gaps with towels, not knowing how to get through tonight.”
A young man from Wuyuan River in Hainan expressed relief that his residential area still had electricity, as all surrounding areas experienced blackouts. Some neighborhoods had their electrical boxes explode, as reported by their friends on social media.