China evacuates over one million as Typhoon Bavi nears

By Go Nakamura, Xihao Jiang and Ella Cao

WENZHOU, China, July 11 (Reuters) – China evacuated more than 1.8 million people on Saturday as Typhoon Bavi churned toward the major eastern city of Wenzhou after pummelling Japan’s southern Sakishima island chain with heavy rain and violent winds and brushing past northern Taiwan.

Even as Bavi continues to slow and weaken on its northwesterly path over cooler seas, the typhoon is still a potent risk due to the sheer volume of moisture it holds within its rain bands, about the size of France from end to end.

Bavi had maximum sustained winds of 144 km per hour (90 mph), equivalent to Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, and was about 200 km (124 miles) southeast of Wenling in the eastern province of Zhejiang as of 0808 GMT, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Bavi is forecast to make landfall around Wenzhou, home to some 10 million people, early on Sunday.

State media said more than 1.7 million people had been evacuated across Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou is located, and more than 100,000 in neighbouring 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.

TAIWAN SPARED WORST OF BAVI

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 in 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 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 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 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.

(Reporting by Go Nakamura, Xihao Jiang and Ella Cao; Additional reporting by Angie Teo and Yimou Lee in Taipei, Joseph Campbell in Ishigaki, Japan, and Karen Lema in Manila; Writing by Ben Blanchard and Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Kim Coghill and William Mallard)