On Saturday, over 1.8 million individuals were evacuated by China as Typhoon Bavi advanced towards Wenzhou, a significant eastern city, following its assault on Japan’s southern Sakishima islands, where it unleashed intense rain and fierce winds, while also skirting the northern coast of Taiwan.
Despite Bavi’s gradual weakening and slowing as it moves northwest across cooler waters, it remains a formidable threat, chiefly because of its massive capacity to retain moisture, stretching across areas as vast as France.
Clocking maximum sustained winds at 144 km per hour, comparable to a Category 1 hurricane as per the Saffir-Simpson scale, Bavi was positioned roughly 200 km southeast of Wenling in Zhejiang province as of Saturday night (AEST), based on data from the National Meteorological Center.
Projections indicate that Bavi will strike near Wenzhou, a metropolis of approximately 10 million residents, in the early hours of Sunday.
State reports disclosed that evacuations exceeded 1.7 million within Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou resides, and in excess of 100,000 in the 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 Wenzhou resident Huang Xinghuan, 50, who was out buying groceries at a traditional wet market before it closed ahead of the typhoon.
Huang said his family had stocked about two to three days’ worth of water. “I think supplies are well guaranteed now. There’s no need to panic or stockpile a lot of food or other supplies,” he added.
While Japan and Taiwan have not so far reported any deaths from the typhoon, 17 people died in the Philippines due to heavy rains brought by an enhanced southwest monsoon, 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.
More than 18,000 households and facilities across Okinawa, Japan lost power as the typhoon pounded Japan’s remote southwestern islands, with the Miyako region hardest hit.
Japanese airlines cancelled dozens of flights, affecting more than 26,000 passengers.
“Miyako is taking worst of typhoon Bavi,” professional storm-chaser James Reynolds posted on X from Ishigaki on Saturday.
“Conditions on Ishigaki gale force with some overnight gusts to typhoon strength.”
Taiwan spared worst
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 on Taiwan, the government took precautions to prevent loss of life, given forecasts for almost 1 metre (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 resident 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 neighbourhood in the foothills of the mountains surrounding the city, gusts of around 100 kph (60 mph) 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 approaching 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.