China moved more than 1.8 million people to safety on Saturday as Typhoon Bavi advanced toward Wenzhou, a major city on the country’s eastern coast, after lashing Japan’s southern Sakishima Islands with torrential rain and powerful winds and passing close to northern Taiwan.
Although Bavi has been slowing and gradually losing strength as it tracks northwest over cooler waters, forecasters warned it remains dangerous because of the vast amount of moisture packed into its rain bands, which stretch roughly the length of France.
As of 8:08 a.m., Bavi was about 124 miles southeast of Wenling in Zhejiang province, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph — comparable to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale — according to China’s National Meteorological Center.
The storm is expected to come ashore near Wenzhou, a city of around 10 million residents, early Sunday.
State media reported that authorities had evacuated more than 1.7 million people across Zhejiang, where Wenzhou is located, along with over 100,000 people in neighboring Fujian province.
“I’m a little worried, but I think it’ll be OK. We’ve been through typhoons before. We’ll get through it,” said Huang Xinghuan, 50, a Wenzhou resident who was buying groceries at a traditional wet market before it shut down ahead of the storm.
Huang said his family had stored enough water for two to three days. “I think supplies are well guaranteed now. There’s no need to panic or stockpile a lot of food or other supplies,” he said.
No deaths have been reported so far in Japan or Taiwan from the typhoon, but officials in the Philippines said 17 people were killed by heavy rains linked to an intensified southwest monsoon that was worsened by Bavi’s impact.
Taiwan’s fire department said 87 people had been injured, mostly falls from motorcycles or bicycles, as well as people falling over or being struck by objects.
TAIWAN SPARED WORST OF BAVI
In Taiwan, the government evacuated more than 14,000 people from mainly mountainous areas as the island shut down for the approach of Bavi to the north.
While Bavi did not make landfall in Taiwan, the government took precautions to prevent loss of life, given forecasts for almost 3 feet of rain in some areas.
Most of those evacuated were in areas in the north and east, with 920 international flights cancelled, effectively closing Taiwan’s main international airport at Taoyuan, outside the capital Taipei, as well as all 282 domestic flights.
Almost all cities and counties across Taiwan declared a typhoon holiday for Saturday, closing any offices and schools that may have been open on the weekend, though in Taipei some restaurants and convenience stores remained open.
The main north-south high-speed rail line also continued to operate, but with reduced service.
In downtown Taipei some people were still out on the street in blustery wind and rain.
“It’s OK, it’s not that serious,” said Yeh Mao-hsiung, 68, out for a morning walk with his dog. “It’s just a little bit more wind.”
But in Taipei’s Beitou neighborhood in the foothills of the mountains surrounding the city, gusts of around 100 kph knocked down trees and swelled rivers.
In Wenzhou, Chen Qiuqin, in her 60s, walked through steady rain on her way to her parents’ home to help them prepare for the typhoon but said she was not too concerned given the government’s preparations.
“I was worried about the flowerpots on my mother’s balcony, so I’m going to help move them inside. My parents are both elderly and they’re home alone, so I wasn’t at ease,” she said.
