Mass Evacuations Ordered as Typhoon Bavi Strikes Eastern China
Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of the year, made landfall on the coast of east China's Zhejiang Province around 11:20 pm on Saturday, according to the Zhejiang provincial meteorological observatory as reported by Xinhua. The storm brought maximum sustained winds of 144 kilometers per hour (89 miles per hour) near its center, prompting Chinese authorities to evacuate more than 1.7 million people and issue high alerts across the region.
Impact on Transportation and Daily Life
China's national weather agency issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest level on a four-tier scale. In response, hundreds of flights were canceled, rail services were reduced, and many schools and ferry services were suspended. In Ningde city, Fujian province, over 3,700 people were evacuated from high-risk onshore areas by Friday evening, with more than 17,000 emergency rescue workers placed on standby, Xinhua reported.
Previous Storms and Regional Effects
Bavi previously brought strong winds and rain to Japan's southern islands and Taiwan. It was the second typhoon to impact China in just over a week; the first, Typhoon Maysak, made landfall in southern China the previous weekend, as reported by Al Jazeera. Bavi is expected to move northwestward inland after landfall, gradually weakening. However, Al Jazeera noted that despite not being as strong as when it passed through the US Pacific islands on Monday, Bavi remains a significant risk due to the large volumes of moisture it carries in its rain bands.
Casualties and Damage from Related Weather Events
Meanwhile, China's southern region of Hainan and Guangxi are still recovering from Tropical Storm Maysak earlier this week. At least 39 people died in the city of Nanning after a breached dam sent torrents of water through the streets. Additionally, at least 17 people were killed in the Philippines after heavy rains from an enhanced southwest monsoon, worsened by Bavi's impact, triggered landslides overnight on Friday.
