Its monstrous characteristics are enough to give you a cold sweat. Typhoon Bavi, fueled by the abnormally warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, reached maximum strength (category 5), before calming down. Its cloud system has the size of France (1,000 km), and its winds flirted at their peak with 300 km/h.
The weather phenomenon has already given a glimpse of its destructive power. On the island of Rota (Mariana Islands), several injuries were reported, in addition to roofs torn off, water and electricity infrastructure knocked out of service. In the Philippines, its cloud bands brushed the coasts, intensifying the monsoon. Results: a landslide left at least 15 dead and 6 missing in Mindanao (South). Finally, tens of thousands of homes were deprived of electricity on the island of Okinawa (Japan), where 340 flights were canceled. In Taiwan, 1,200 national and international flights were canceled. Thousands of sandbags were distributed to protect residential areas closest to sea level. In all, 14,000 people fled their homes.
1.7 million residents evacuated in the Chinese province of Zhejiang
The ogre is now continuing its journey towards China, where the precautionary principle is gaining considerable momentum. In the eastern province of Zhejiang, more than 1.7 million residents have been evacuated, according to state media. The typhoon is expected to make landfall there on Sunday July 12. School, work, transportation and outdoor activities have been suspended. More than 400 flights and dozens of train connections have been canceled in the province.
“This massive and limitless mobilization, which skimps neither on efforts nor on costs, aims solely to protect against the (worst) scenario,” declared the government of Wenzhou, a metropolis of nearly 10 million inhabitants located in Zhejiang, in a press release. Residents are preparing by reinforcing the metal shutters of businesses with wood and sticking adhesive tape on the windows. Bavi is expected to bring “exceptionally heavy rain” to the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“Dangerous waves” of 10 meters expected
More than 130,000 people have been evacuated in Fujian, as well as 34,000 people in coastal and high-risk areas of Shanghai, according to state media. Further north, heavy rains have already pushed Beijing to evacuate more than 100,000 people, the capital’s government said, where the discharge rate from the Miyun reservoir has been increased to cope with the waters of a potential flood.
China has just emerged from devastating floods in the Guangxi region (South), with the death toll rising to 39 and nine missing, according to the authorities, and residents throwing shovels in hand to clean their homes. On Saturday, Typhoon Bavi’s sustained winds slowed to 137 km/h, with gusts approaching 173 km/h, the Taiwan Central Meteorological Administration (CWA) said. But the institution still anticipates “extremely torrential rain” in the north of the island and “dangerous waves” of up to 10 meters. In Taiwan as in China, authorities hope that the storm will further lose intensity by Sunday morning, when the damage can be seen.
