China evacuates more than 600,000 as Typhoon Bavi nears
The storm is forecast to hit Zhejiang early Sunday after bringing dangerous rain and wind to parts of the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
China has evacuated more than 600,000 people as Typhoon Bavi approaches its eastern coast, Chinese authorities said Saturday. The storm is forecast to come ashore near Wenzhou in Zhejiang province early Sunday, bringing heavy rain to a densely populated area.
Authorities said more than 500,000 people had been moved from their homes in Zhejiang, while about 100,000 others had been evacuated in neighboring Fujian province. China’s national weather agency issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest level in its four-tier warning system.
Bavi had earlier struck Japan’s Sakishima islands and passed close to northern Taiwan, according to AP and Reuters. The storm has weakened from the system that crossed parts of the U.S. Pacific islands on Monday and then moved northwest, but forecasters still warned that its rain bands were carrying large amounts of moisture.
Transport and public services were curtailed ahead of the storm, according to AP and Reuters. Hundreds of flights were canceled, some rail services were reduced, and schools and ferry routes were suspended in affected areas.
In Wenzhou, Reuters spoke to Huang Xinghuan, a 50-year-old resident buying groceries before a wet market closed ahead of the typhoon. Huang said he was concerned but expected the city to cope, adding that his family had stored enough water for two or three days and that food supplies were available.
Fujian province also prepared emergency measures. Xinhua news agency said more than 3,700 people had been evacuated from high-risk areas in Ningde by Friday evening, and that more than 17,000 emergency rescue workers had been placed on standby.
Other parts of China were still dealing with separate flooding from Tropical Storm Maysak earlier in the week, AP and Reuters reported. In the southern regions of Hainan and Guangxi, at least 39 people died in Nanning after a dam breach sent floodwater through city streets.
Philippines, Taiwan and Japan report storm impacts
In the Philippines, at least 17 people were killed after heavy rain linked to an intensified southwest monsoon and Bavi’s influence triggered landslides overnight Friday, according to AP and Reuters.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration expected Bavi to pass the island on Saturday. Authorities reported no deaths, but at least 36 injuries, many involving motorcyclists on roads made slick by rain and wind, AP and Reuters reported.
By Saturday morning, 14,210 people had been evacuated across Taiwan, especially in Taichung and Hualien county, according to AP and Reuters. Schools, offices and most restaurants across the island were closed as the storm passed nearby.
Japan also faced disruptions from Bavi. More than 200 flights were canceled, while officials in Okinawa prefecture warned of high waves, strong winds and storm surges, AP and Reuters reported. The Sakishima island chain, which is administered as part of Okinawa, had been hit by strong wind and rain since Friday.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.