Typhoon “Bavi” puts China on alert again, thousands evacuated after the second threat in a week

Eastern areas of China have been swept by large-scale evacuations as Typhoon Bavi, the second storm to threaten the country within a week, approaches the coastline.

The responsible institutions have raised the alarm over very intense rainfall, as well as an increased risk of flooding and landslides.

According to meteorological forecasts, the storm is expected to make landfall on Sunday morning near the city of Wenzhou, in Zhejiang province. Although it has already weakened to a Category 1 typhoon, Bavi is still considered dangerous because of the large amount of moisture it is carrying.

Chinese authorities said that Zhejiang and Fujian provinces could face “exceptionally torrential” rainfall, explaining that the evacuation of residents was undertaken to avoid the worst possible consequences. Wenzhou, a city of around 10 million residents, lies near the storm’s projected path.

Before heading toward China, Bavi struck the Sakishima Islands in southern Japan, where at least five people were injured and thousands of residents were left without electricity. The typhoon then brought heavy rainfall to Taiwan as well, increasing the risk of landslides and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, although no fatalities have been reported.

Earlier, the storm caused landslides in the Philippines, where at least 17 people lost their lives.

Bavi initially formed as a super typhoon and struck Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands with winds reaching up to 290 kilometers per hour. As it moved across the Pacific, it weakened to around 144 kilometers per hour, but remained a serious danger to the region.

In Taiwan, dozens of flights have been canceled and classes in schools have been suspended. Residents have stocked up on food and essential supplies in anticipation of worsening weather.

At the same time, southern China continues to deal with the damage left by Typhoon Maysak, which struck the country at the start of the week. According to authorities, the storm caused at least 39 deaths, major damage to agriculture, and also brought two rare tornadoes to Hubei province.