BEIJING: Nearly one million people have been evacuated in eastern China as Typhoon Bavi approaches the country’s coast, as the powerful storm battered northern Taiwan and Japan’s southwestern islands with heavy rain, strong winds and widespread power outages.
Chinese authorities said more than 900,000 people had fled their homes as Typhoon Bavi moved towards landfall, following days of deadly storms that have already claimed at least 39 lives across southern and central China.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall early on Sunday near the eastern city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province.
According to local authorities, 887,801 people had been evacuated from Wenzhou by late Friday as officials launched extensive emergency preparations.
“The proactive, all-out mobilisation, which is sparing no effort or cost, is undertaken entirely to guard against the (worst-case) scenario,” Wenzhou authorities said in a statement.
Residents reinforced shopfronts with wooden supports and taped windows as forecasters warned of exceptionally heavy rainfall across eastern Zhejiang and neighbouring Fujian province.
Mass Evacuations Across China
Heavy rain also forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people in northern China as authorities increased water discharge from Beijing’s Miyun Reservoir to prepare for potential flooding.
Extreme weather has battered southern and central China throughout the week, causing dozens of rivers to overflow and triggering the collapse of a reservoir dam.
Taiwan Braces for Heavy Rain
In Taiwan, deserted streets reflected the impact of the storm as businesses remained closed for a second consecutive day across much of the north.
Authorities evacuated more than 14,000 people, cancelled hundreds of flights and reported power outages affecting more than 170,000 households.
“Everyone is afraid of the severe weather and staying indoors, but I only came out because I have orders,” breakfast shop owner Tsai told AFP in the northern port city of Keelung.
“Some people are on duty and wouldn’t have anything to eat, so I still need to deliver food to them,” the 50-year-old added.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Bavi had weakened from a super typhoon after crossing Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier this week.
The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 137 kilometres per hour, with gusts reaching 173 km/h, and was expected to generate waves of up to 10 metres along Taiwan’s northern coastline.
The weather agency warned of “extremely torrential rain” as the typhoon skirted the island.
Philippines and Japan Also Affected
In the Philippines, the death toll linked to heavy rain and landslides triggered by Bavi rose to 18, with most fatalities reported on the southern island of Mindanao.
Nearly 11,000 people were displaced across the archipelago, while dozens of ports remained closed and 313 vessels sought shelter from the storm.
Japan’s remote southwestern islands also bore the brunt of the typhoon, with more than 18,000 households and facilities in Okinawa losing electricity.
Airlines cancelled dozens of flights, disrupting travel for more than 26,000 passengers.
Storm chaser James Reynolds, posting on X from Ishigaki, said Miyako was experiencing the worst conditions, with gale-force winds and overnight gusts reaching typhoon strength.
Climate Concerns
Scientists say warmer ocean temperatures are helping tropical storms become more intense and carry greater amounts of moisture, increasing the risk of extreme rainfall.
The European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said last week that the world’s oceans recorded their hottest June on record and could experience even higher temperatures in the coming months.
The return of El Niño, a natural climate pattern that periodically warms Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, is also expected to contribute to more volatile weather conditions across the region.
Despite official warnings, some residents questioned whether the disruption matched the storm’s actual impact.
“The government reports make it sound absolutely terrifying, panicking everyone, right?” another breakfast shop owner, surnamed Li, told AFP in Keelung.
“Look at how it has caused people to scramble for groceries and clear out the shelves. Honestly, there hasn’t even been much wind or rain these past two days.”
Others continued working while monitoring conditions.
“My boss told me that if the wind gets strong, we’ll pull down the metal shutter because the goods outside could be blown away,” 17-year-old grocery store worker Dottie Xu said.
Convenience store employee Kang Yu-chen described the weather as “just like a rainy day.”
