Disaster-risk assessment of Typhoon “Yagi” by wind-energy simulation

Increased frequency of intense typhoons is seen in recent years, particularly Super Typhoon “Yagi” (Typhoon No. 2411), which has caused substantial economic losses and social impacts in Hainan province in China． In this study the wind disaster assessment method based on accumulated wind energy is compared, thereby mitigating the limitations of traditional assessments based solely on maximum wind speed． The accumulated wind energy model is found to more precisely reflect actual disaster losses, especially in high-vulnerability areas such as Wenchang and Haikou． The coverage area of winds greater than level 12 is 1 473 km², level 13 is 933 km², level 14 is 101 km²． The overall wind energy of “Yagi” is higher than that “Rammasun”, and the total wind energy of Typhoon “Yagi” in Wenchang city is about 13 times that of “Rammasun”, at 500 000 kJ． This study reveals influence of factors such as typhoon wind speed, duration, and terrain on accumulated wind energy, thus elucidating regional disparities in wind disaster risk． Under the background of climate change, it is recommended to improve wind resistance design standards and infrastructure resilience based on typhoon wind energy estimation results, especially for rural housing, agricultural facilities, electricity, communication and other infrastructure．