China Evacuates 1.8 Million as Typhoon Bavi Bears Down on Wenzhou

China moved more than 1.8 million people out of harm’s way on Saturday as Typhoon Bavi churned toward the eastern city of Wenzhou, after the storm had already battered Japan’s southern Sakishima islands with heavy rain and strong winds and brushed past northern Taiwan. Bavi is forecast to make landfall near Wenzhou, home to roughly 10 million people, early Sunday morning.

The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 144 kilometers per hour, putting it at Category 1 strength on the Saffir Simpson scale, and was positioned about 200 kilometers southeast of Wenling in Zhejiang province as of Saturday morning. Even as Bavi slows and weakens over cooler waters, its rain bands stretch roughly the size of France, keeping it a serious threat.

Evacuations Concentrated in Zhejiang and Fujian

State media reported more than 1.7 million evacuations across Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou sits, along with over 100,000 in neighboring Fujian. Wenzhou resident Huang Xinghuan, 50, said his family stocked two to three days of water but didn’t feel the need to panic-buy supplies, noting the city has weathered typhoons before.

Taiwan and Japan Spared the Worst, Philippines Hit Hard

Taiwan evacuated more than 14,000 people from mountainous areas and canceled over 1,200 flights, effectively shutting down Taoyuan International Airport, though the storm didn’t make direct landfall there. Some areas still saw gusts around 100 kph strong enough to knock down trees. Neither Japan nor Taiwan reported deaths, but 17 people died in the Philippines from heavy rains linked to a monsoon system worsened by Bavi’s effects.