Typhoon Bavi, the strongest storm to hit mainland China this year, brought heavy rain to the east coast on Monday and lashed densely populated cities with strong winds, testing the country's ability to cope with extreme weather conditions, Reuters reported.
Bavi had weakened to a tropical storm by Sunday morning as it moved deeper into land, but meteorologists warned that the storm system the size of France could cause prolonged and widespread rainfall across eastern and northern China in the coming days.
Nearly two million people were evacuated ahead of Bavi's arrival, mostly in Zhejiang province, one of the economic and technological centers of the world's second-largest economy.
Bavi hit the coastal city of Yuhuan in China's Zhejiang province at around 23:20 p.m. local time (17:20 p.m. CET) on Saturday, before making landfall a second time around midnight near Yueqing, a part of the city of Wenzhou.
"The winds were very strong. We could hear roof tiles and tree branches falling. Of course we were scared, but we live by the sea, so we are used to it," Yueqing resident Li Liangxing told Reuters.
Pointing toward a flooded canal next to the apartment complex where he lives, Li said he had never seen water levels so high.
"There used to be a path there, but it's under water now," he said.
More than 1.300 trees fell across Yueqing, more than 700 of which were completely uprooted, state broadcaster CCTV reported. In the deepest places, the water reached about half the height of car tires.
Emergency crews today used excavators and chainsaws to clear water-soaked streets littered with fallen trees.
In the mountainous north of the city, CCTV footage showed a landslide that toppled large rocks onto a mountain road, while swollen rivers submerged nearby trees.
In Kanmen, a coastal fishing town in Yuhuan, 72-year-old parcel delivery shop owner Lin Yongjin was assessing the damage done by Bavi.
His shop, facing the sea, bore the brunt of the storm. The metal structure supporting the awning over the entrance collapsed, and a window on a neighboring building was shattered. Lin estimated that the typhoon caused more than 6.000 yuan, or about $885, in damage.
"After it reached the shore, there was nothing we could do. The rainwater was seeping into the house. We fought it all night and didn't fall asleep until after five in the morning," he said.
Lin, who has experienced numerous typhoons, said this one stood out in particular.
"It was a very strong typhoon. It hit land right here in Kanmen. We were directly in its path," he said.
Disrupted flights and rail traffic
Bavi passed north of Taiwan on Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain across much of the island. One area in northern Miaoli County received nearly 80 centimeters of rain.
Taiwan's fire department said on Monday that 134 people were injured, mostly from falls from motorcycles, slips or being hit by objects. There were no fatalities. The Ministry of Transport said 137 international and 62 domestic flights were canceled today.
Disruptions also affected China's transport network. In the capital of Zhejiang province, Hangzhou, two major railway stations suspended all traffic, while 327 flights were canceled at Xiaoshan International Airport.
In neighboring Shanghai, a total of 1.620 train departures and 684 flights were canceled, state-run newspaper "The Paper" reported.
As Bavi continues to move across China, areas near its path could receive several hundred millimeters of rain in just a few days, increasing the risk of flooding, landslides and urban flash floods, said Benjamin Horton, dean of the School of Energy and Environment at the City University of Hong Kong.
"Even if the storm weakens after it makes landfall, its large circulation can continue to cause destructive weather hundreds of kilometers inland," he said.
Scientists warn that China could face even more extreme weather conditions this year due to the expected occurrence of the El Niño climate phenomenon, which can increase temperatures and shift the paths of typhoons westward, towards the Chinese coast.
"The rapid strengthening of typhoons reduces the time for local communities and emergency services to prepare, making these events particularly challenging," Horton said.
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