Two Million Evacuated in China Ahead of Typhoon Bavi

China has evacuated close to two million people as Typhoon Bavi approaches, after the storm battered Taiwan and several Japanese islands with strong winds and rains, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power. The typhoon is forecast to make landfall early Sunday in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang.

In Zhejiang, over 1.7 million people have been evacuated, with more than half of them from the city of Wenzhou. Classes, work, transportation, and outdoor activities have been suspended. Over 400 flights and dozens of trains were canceled in the province as residents reinforced shop closures and taped windows. State television CCTV predicts "exceptionally abundant rainfall" in both Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, where an additional 130,000 people were evacuated. Further north, heavy precipitation forced the evacuation of over 100,000 people in Beijing, and 34,000 were moved from Shanghai's coastal areas.

Before reaching the mainland, Typhoon Bavi brought heavy rains and winds to Taiwan on Saturday. Over 14,000 people were evacuated, numerous businesses closed, hundreds of flights were canceled, and 170,000 homes lost electricity. A breakfast shop owner, identified only as Tsai, told AFP that "everyone is afraid of the bad weather and stays home." Although Bavi weakened from a supertyphoon to a typhoon, with maximum winds dropping to 137 km/h, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration warned of "extremely torrential rains" in the north and "dangerous waves" potentially reaching 10 meters.

In Japan, over 18,000 homes and facilities lost power on the southern island of Okinawa, and dozens of flights were canceled. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, landslides and heavy rains caused by the storm killed at least 18 people, primarily on the island of Mindanao, and left dozens of ports closed. The article notes that ocean warming contributes to the intensification of tropical cyclones and increases rainfall intensity, with oceans recording their highest temperatures in June since records began.

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Everyone is afraid of the bad weather and stays home, I only went out because I have orders.