Emergency crews armed with excavators and chainsaws spent Sunday clearing streets packed with fallen trees along China’s eastern coast, working in the wake of Typhoon Bavi — the most powerful storm to hit the country this year.
Bavi had weakened to a tropical storm by Sunday morning as it moved inland, but weather forecasters cautioned that the massive storm system — roughly the size of France — could bring prolonged, heavy rainfall across large portions of eastern and northern China. The storm had also triggered at least one landslide and left several areas underwater.
Ahead of the storm’s arrival, close to 2 million people were evacuated, most of them from Zhejiang province, a major hub for technology and economic activity in the world’s second-largest economy.
Bavi first came ashore near the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang at approximately 11:20 p.m. Saturday local time before striking again in Yueqing, part of the major city of Wenzhou, around midnight.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that more than 1,300 trees toppled across Yueqing, with over 700 of them pulled out by the roots entirely. Floodwaters in some spots reached a depth of roughly half the height of a vehicle tire.
Video footage broadcast by CCTV captured the aftermath of a landslide in the mountainous northern section of the city, where massive boulders rolled down onto a mountain road and nearby trees were swallowed by swollen river waters.
Before reaching mainland China, Bavi tracked north of Taiwan on Saturday, hammering much of the island with fierce winds and heavy rain. One area in the northern county of Miaoli recorded nearly 80 centimeters — about 31 inches — of rainfall.
Taiwan’s fire department announced Sunday that 134 people had been hurt, with most injuries stemming from people falling off motorcycles, slipping, or being struck by flying objects. No fatalities were reported. The island’s transport ministry said 137 international flights and 62 domestic flights were cancelled on Sunday due to the storm.
