Hainan villagers weren't warned how devastating superstorm Rammasun would be

Along the coastline of Beigang Island in Hainan province's northeast, some 20 villagers were throwing their clothes and bedding onto dozens of fires flickering in a coconut grove. They were burning waterlogged possessions ruined after getting soaked in seawater when Super Typhoon Rammasun struck last month.

"We are used to seeing seawater flow into the village, but it's usually not higher than our waists,'' said a man who quickly gave his name as Chen, as he yelled to neighbours to bring more things to burn. "We were prepared for the wind, but not the water. I've never seen such mountainous waves."

On the afternoon of July 18, Chen and fellow villagers saw waves several metres high approaching the islet, first from the east, and then from the northwest. Villagers who gathered at the pier said they spied waves that would reach the second floor of some houses. The islet was flooded with seawater for about six hours.

Watch: Typhoon Rammasun haunts victims in China's Hainan province

Located on Puqian Bay, Beigang Island lies between two of the areas hardest hit by the storm - the cities of Haikou and Wenchang . Each village in the bay area, and many others along the province's northeastern coast, were flooded.

Once a pretty port of fishing boats and a weekend getaway for city dwellers, the island has become a tangle of tree limbs, refuse and wrecked boats. The worst typhoon to make landfall in southern China in 41 years killed 62 people. Twenty-one were listed as missing as of July 25. About 386,000 people were evacuated or relocated.