Typhoon makes landfall in China after forcing nearly two million to flee
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Commuters sheltering while riding their motorbikes in the rain ahead of Typhoon Bavi's landfall, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, eastern China, on July 11.
PHOTO: EPA
- Typhoon Bavi made landfall in eastern China with winds up to 144km/h, forcing nearly two million people to evacuate and causing widespread travel and activity disruptions.
- The storm also hit northern Taiwan, Japan’s southwestern islands, and the Philippines, causing power outages, flight cancellations, and at least 18 deaths in the Philippines.
- Warmer oceans and El Nino are intensifying tropical storms like Bavi, which was initially forecast as the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan in over 30 years but weakened before landfall.
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BEIJING - Typhoon Bavi made landfall late on July 11 in eastern China, packing strong winds as it roared ashore after authorities evacuated nearly two million people, state media said.
There was no immediate word on damage or casualties.
Before reaching China, the storm lashed northern Taiwan and Japan’s remote southwestern islands, toppling trees and leaving tens of thousands without power.
Extreme weather has already wreaked havoc on southern and central China this week, with storms leaving at least 39 dead and causing dozens of rivers to overflow and a reservoir dam to burst.
Typhoon Bavi first made landfall at around 11.20pm on July 11 in Zhejiang province, the state Xinhua news agency said, quoting the provincial meteorological observatory.
The typhoon - which first came ashore in Yuhuan city-- packed winds at up to 144kmh, the agency said.
The storm bounced back away from land and hit a second time in Yueqing City about 20 minutes later, Xinhua added.
Zhejiang provincial officials forecast torrential rain in coastal regions and the possibility of flash floods, transportation disruptions, rivers overflowing their banks and farmland being inundated, Xinhua said.
Bavi was expected to keep moving to the north-west while weakening, Xinhua said, without mentioning if there was damage or casualties.
As of the morning of July 11, authorities had evacuated 1.72 million people to safe places, Xinhua said.
Ahead of the storm’s arrival, classes, work, transport and outdoor activities were suspended, and more than 400 flights and dozens of train services cancelled in the province.
“The proactive, all-out mobilisation, which is sparing no effort or cost, is undertaken entirely to guard against the (worst-case) scenario,” the government in Wenzhou, a metropolis of nearly 10 million people in Zhejiang, said in a statement.
Workers playing cards at a shelter set up ahead of Typhoon Bavi's landfall, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, eastern China, on July 11.
PHOTO: EPA
Residents used wood to reinforce metal shutters protecting shops and taped windows, with Bavi forecast to bring “exceptionally heavy rains” to eastern Zhejiang and northeastern Fujian province, CCTV footage showed.
Torrential rain further north prompted the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from their homes in Beijing, the government said, as water discharge flows from the capital’s Miyun Reservoir were ramped up to capture potential floodwaters.
More than 130,000 people have fled their homes in Fujian and around 34,000 people from Shanghai’s coastal areas and high-risk areas, state media reported.
Streets were largely deserted in northern Taiwan, where most businesses were shut for a second day as wind and rain buffeted the region.
More than 14,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, hundreds of flights cancelled and more than 170,000 households across the island hit with power outages because of the storm.
A shop secured with sandbags, tape and plastic sheeting as rain intensifies ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Bavi, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on July 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) warned of “extremely torrential rain” across northern Taiwan and “dangerous waves” of up to 10 metres along the coast as Bavi skirted the island’s north.
Bavi was downgraded to a typhoon as it moved across the Pacific Ocean after slamming into Guam and the Northern Marianas on July 6 as a super typhoon.
Death toll rises
In the Philippines, the death toll from landslides and other incidents triggered by heavy rains driven by Bavi rose to 18, most on the southern island of Mindanao.
Nearly 11,000 people across the archipelago fled their homes and dozens of ports remain closed, with 313 vessels taking shelter.
Thousands of households and facilities across Okinawa 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.
Oceans have experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said last week.
Warmer oceans intensify tropical storms and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain.
Adding to the mix is the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that warms Pacific Ocean surface temperatures and typically occurs every two to seven years.
Bavi had been on track on July 10 to be the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan in more than 30 years, but its strong-wind radius has since shrunk to 350km, CWA forecaster Jason Cheng said.
Some Taiwanese expressed frustration at the government’s warnings, which caused most businesses to shut on July 10 and people to shelter indoors.
“Look at how it has caused people to scramble for groceries and clear out the shelves,” said a breakfast shop owner in Keelung surnamed Li.
“Honestly, there hasn’t even been much wind or rain these past two days.” REUTERS
