Typhoon Bavi batters eastern China prompting nearly two million evacuations to safety, threatens days of rain

Typhoon Bavi, the strongest storm to hit the eastern coast of mainland China this year, brought heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides after making landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday. More than 2.8 million people were evacuated to safety ahead of the storm.

Bavi made landfall in Yuhuan late on Saturday before a second landfall in nearby Yueqing around midnight. It weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday but is expected to bring prolonged heavy rain across eastern and northern China.

In Yueqing, more than 1,300 trees fell, streets were flooded and a landslide blocked a mountain road. Emergency crews cleared debris and reopened roads.

"The winds were very strong," Yueqing resident Li Liangxing told Reuters. "We could hear roof tiles and tree branches falling. Of course we were scared, but we live by the sea, so we're used to it."

Emergency crews on Sunday deployed excavators and chainsaws to clear waterlogged streets littered with fallen trees.

In the city's mountainous north, footage aired by CCTV showed a landslide that sent large boulders tumbling onto a mountain road, while swollen river waters submerged nearby trees.

In Kanmen, a coastal fishing town in Yuhuan, 72-year-old parcel shop owner Lin Yongjin was counting the cost of Bavi.

His shop, which faces the sea, bore the brunt of the storm. Metal frames supporting the entrance canopy had collapsed, and a window in a neighbouring building had been blown out. Lin estimated the typhoon had caused more than 6,000 yuan ($885) in damage.

"After it came ashore, there was nothing we could do. Rainwater poured into the house. We spent the whole night dealing with it and didn't get to sleep until after 5 a.m.," he said.

Transport disruption

Bavi passed northern Taiwan on Saturday, bringing strong winds and driving rain across much of the island. The storm dumped nearly 80 cm (31 inches) of rain in one area in the northern county of Miaoli. Taiwan's fire department said on Sunday that there were 134 people injured. The transport ministry said 137 international flights had been cancelled on Sunday, along with 62 domestic trips.

In eastern China, train services were suspended in Hangzhou at two major stations and 327 flights were cancelled at Xiaoshan International Airport.

In neighbouring Shanghai, a total of 1,620 train trips and 684 flights were cancelled, state-backed The Paper reported.

Heavy rain to continue

Bavi moved into Anhui province on Sunday and is forecast to turn northeast towards the Yellow Sea by Tuesday.

Heavy to torrential rain is expected across Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Liaoning and Jilin, increasing the risk of flooding in already saturated areas. In Hebei, rescue teams used inflatable boats to reach people stranded by floodwaters.

Experts warned that despite weakening, Bavi could continue generating dangerous weather hundreds of kilometres inland.

Scientists have warned China could face more extreme weather this year with the expected emergence of the El Nino weather pattern, which can drive up temperatures and shift typhoon tracks westward toward the country's coast.

Read more: 

• Typhoon Bavi lashes southern Japan, forces Taiwan evacuations
• Looming Super Typhoon Bavi triggers flight cancellations across East Asia

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