Typhoon Bavi made landfall late on Saturday in the coastal city of Taizhou in eastern China, where nearly 2 million people were evacuated.
Even as Bavi continues to slow and weaken on its northwesterly path, 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 had maximum sustained winds of about 144 km per hour, equivalent to Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, when it made landfall at around 11:20 p.m. local time, according to the National Meteorological Center.
State media said more than 1.7 million people had been evacuated across Zhejiang province, where Taizhou is located, along with more than 100,000 each from neighboring Fujian province and Beijing, and some 34,000 from Shanghai.
In Wenzhou, Chen Qiuqin, in her 60s, walked through steady rain on her way to her parents’ home to help them prepare for the 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.
The typhoon had earlier pummeled Japan’s southern Sakishima island chain and brushed past northern Taiwan. 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 said 113 people had been injured, mostly from falls from motorcycles or bicycles, as well as people falling over or being struck by objects.