China evacuates over 1.8 million ahead of Typhoon Bavi landfall

China has evacuated more than 1.8 million people in anticipation of Typhoon Bavi, which battered Taiwan and Japanese islands with strong winds and rains, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power.

Despite Bavi's decreasing speed and intensity over cooler waters, the typhoon remains a considerable threat due to its vast rain bands, stretching across an area comparable to France. As of 08:08 GMT, Bavi sustained maximum winds of 144 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane, and was located about 200 kilometers southeast of Wenling in China's eastern Zhejiang province.

Authorities in Wenzhou, a city of 10 million people in Zhejiang, braced for the typhoon's landfall early Sunday. State media reported over 1.7 million evacuations in Zhejiang and more than 100,000 in the neighboring Fujian province. While Japan and Taiwan reported no deaths, the typhoon's associated monsoon caused 17 fatalities in the Philippines and at least 87 injuries in Taiwan, with five minor injuries in Japan.

In response, Wenzhou officials stressed "proactive and total mobilization to prevent the worst-case scenario." Classes, work, transportation, and outdoor activities were suspended, and over 400 flights and dozens of trains were canceled. Residents reinforced shop shutters with wood and sealed windows with tape in preparation for "exceptionally heavy rains."

Extreme weather has already impacted southern and central China this week, with storms causing at least 39 deaths, overflowing dozens of rivers, and breaching a dam.

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proactive and total mobilization to prevent the worst-case scenario