Typhoon Bavi prompts large-scale evacuations in China, with Taiwan and Philippines affected

Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Typhoon Bavi barrels towards China

China evacuated more than 600,000 people on Saturday ahead of Typhoon Bavi hitting 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 is forecast to make landfall around Wenzhou, home to some 10 million people, in the early hours of Sunday. State media said more than half a million people had been evacuated in Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou is located, and more than 100,000 in neighbouring Fujian province. People ride electric scooters in the rain as Typhoon Bavi approaches, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China July 11, 2026. —Reuters “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, 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. Fishing boats are moored at Zhengbin Fishing Harbor as Typhoon Bavi moves close to the northern coast of Taiwan in Keelung, Taiwan, July 11, 2026. —Reuters 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 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 on Taiwan, the government took precautions to prevent loss of life, given forecasts for almost 1 metre 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 280 domestic flights. A man sits next to a screen showing cancelled flights at the departure hall at Naha Airport in Naha, Okinawa prefecture, on July 10, 2026. —AFP 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 resident 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. A man clears mud after heavy rainfall brought by typhoon Maysak in flooded Sanli town in Guigang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China July 9, 2026. —Reuters In Wenzhou, Chen Qiuqin, in her 60s, walked through steady rain on her way to her parents’ home to help them prepare for the approaching 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.

8 hours ago

Typhoon forces 2 million to flee

Keelung: Nearly two million people have fled their homes in China as an approaching typhoon lashed northern Taiwan and Japan's remote southwestern islands on Saturday, toppling trees and leaving tens of thousands without power.Extreme weather has already wreaked havoc on southern and central China this week, with storms leaving at least 39 dead and causing dozens of rivers to overflow and a reservoir dam to burst.Typhoon Bavi is expected to make landfall early on Sunday in the eastern province of Zhejiang, where more than 1.7 million people have been evacuated from their homes, state media reported. Also Read: UK police release man arrested over killing of former politician Ann WiddecombeClasses, work, transport and outdoor activities have been suspended, and more than 400 flights and dozens of train services cancelled in the province."The proactive, all-out mobilisation, which is sparing no effort or cost, is undertaken entirely to guard against the (worst-case) scenario," the government in Wenzhou, a metropolis of nearly 10 million people in Zhejiang, said in a statement.Residents used wood to reinforce metal shutters protecting shops and taped windows, with Bavi forecast to bring "exceptionally heavy rains" to eastern Zhejiang and northeastern Fujian province, CCTV footage showed.Torrential rain further north prompted the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from their homes in Beijing, the government said, as water discharge flows from the capital's Miyun Reservoir were ramped up to capture potential floodwaters.More than 130,000 people have fled their homes in Fujian and around 34,000 people from Shanghai's coastal areas and high-risk areas, state media reported.Streets were largely deserted in northern Taiwan, where most businesses were shut for a second day as wind and rain buffeted the region.More than 14,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, hundreds of flights cancelled and more than 170,000 households across the island hit with power outages because of the storm."Everyone is afraid of the severe weather and staying indoors, but I only came out because I have orders," a breakfast shop owner surnamed Tsai told AFP in Taiwan's port city of Keelung. Also Read: Iran's Supreme Leader pledges to avenge 'blood of the martyred' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei"Some people are on duty and wouldn't have anything to eat, so I still need to deliver food to them," the 50-year-old said.Bavi was downgraded to a typhoon as it moved across the Pacific Ocean after slamming into Guam and the Northern Marianas on Monday as a super typhoon.Its maximum sustained wind speeds slowed to 137 kilometres (85 miles) per hour, with gusts of around 173 kph on Saturday, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.The CWA warned of "extremely torrential rain" across northern Taiwan and "dangerous waves" of up to 10 metres (33 feet) along the coast as Bavi skirted the island's north.Death toll rises In the Philippines, the death toll from landslides and other incidents triggered by heavy rains driven by Bavi rose to 18, most on the southern island of Mindanao.Nearly 11,000 people across the archipelago fled their homes and dozens of ports remain closed, with 313 vessels taking shelter.More than 18,000 households and facilities across Okinawa lost power as the typhoon pounded Japan's remote southwestern islands, with the Miyako region hardest hit. Japanese airlines cancelled dozens of flights, affecting more than 26,000 passengers.Oceans experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service said last week.Warmer oceans help tropical storms to intensify and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain.Adding to the mix is the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that warms Pacific Ocean surface temperatures and typically occurs every two to seven years.'Like a rainy day'Bavi had been on track on Friday to be the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan in more than 30 years, but its strong-wind radius has since shrunk to 350 kilometres, CWA forecaster Jason Cheng said.Some Taiwanese expressed frustration at the government's typhoon warnings, which caused most businesses to shut on Friday and people to shelter indoors."The government reports make it sound absolutely terrifying, panicking everyone, right?" said another breakfast shop owner in Keelung surnamed Li, upset at the loss of business from the storm."Look at how it has caused people to scramble for groceries and clear out the shelves. Honestly, there hasn't even been much wind or rain these past two days."Dottie Xu, 17, said she took a public bus to work at a grocery store in Bali, a coastal district of New Taipei district."My boss told me that if the wind gets strong, we'll pull down the metal shutter because the goods outside could be blown away," Xu told AFP.Bali convenience store worker Kang Yu-chen, 19, said: "It's just like a rainy day."

13 hours ago