China evacuated more than 1.8 million people on Saturday as Typhoon Bavi churned toward Wenzhou, a major eastern city of 10 million, after battering Japan's southern Sakishima islands and skirting northern Taiwan with torrential rains and violent winds. The massive displacement underscores the human toll of extreme weather events that climate scientists say are intensifying across the Pacific.
The storm weakened as it moved northwest over cooler waters, but meteorologists warned it remained dangerous. Bavi's rain bands stretched the size of France from end to end, carrying enormous volumes of moisture that threatened catastrophic flooding. Maximum sustained winds reached 144 km per hour, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane, as the typhoon sat 200 km southeast of Wenling in Zhejiang province at 0808 GMT, according to the National Meteorological Center.
Mass Evacuations Across Eastern Provinces
State media reported more than 1.7 million people had been moved to safety across Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou is located, with an additional 100,000 evacuated in neighboring Fujian province. The scale of the operation reflects lessons learned from past typhoons that have devastated coastal communities, though it also reveals the vulnerability of millions living in storm-prone regions.
In Wenzhou, resident Huang Xinghuan, 50, shopped for groceries at a traditional wet market before it closed ahead of the typhoon's expected Sunday landfall. "I'm a little worried, but I think it'll be OK. We've been through typhoons before. We'll get through it," he said. Huang's family had stocked two to three days' worth of water. "I think supplies are well guaranteed now. There's no need to panic or stockpile a lot of food or other supplies," he added.
Casualties in the Philippines
While Japan and Taiwan hadn't reported deaths from Bavi, 17 people died in the Philippines due to heavy rains from an enhanced southwest monsoon worsened by the typhoon's impact. The fatalities highlight how extreme weather systems disproportionately affect vulnerable populations across multiple countries, even those not in the storm's direct path.
Taiwan's fire department said 87 people had been injured, mostly from falls on motorcycles or bicycles, as well as people falling over or being struck by objects.
Taiwan's Precautionary Shutdown
Taiwan's government evacuated more than 14,000 people from mainly mountainous areas as the island shut down for Bavi's approach to the north. Though the typhoon didn't make landfall, authorities took extensive precautions given forecasts for almost 1 metre of rain in some areas. Most evacuees came from the north and east, with 920 international flights cancelled, effectively closing Taiwan's main international airport at Taoyuan outside Taipei. All 282 domestic flights were also grounded.
Nearly every city and county across Taiwan declared a typhoon holiday for Saturday, closing offices and schools that might've been open on the weekend. Some restaurants and convenience stores in Taipei remained open, and the main north-south high-speed rail line continued operating with reduced service.
In downtown Taipei, some residents ventured out despite blustery conditions. "It's OK, it's not that serious," said Yeh Mao-hsiung, 68, walking his dog. "It's just a little bit more wind."
But in Taipei's Beitou neighborhood in the mountain foothills, gusts around 100 kph knocked down trees and swelled rivers, revealing the storm's uneven impact across the city.
In Wenzhou, Chen Qiuqin, in her 60s, walked through steady rain to help her elderly parents prepare. "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. Her concern reflects the particular vulnerability of aging populations during extreme weather events.
Why This Matters:
The evacuation of nearly 2 million people across China's eastern provinces demonstrates both the growing threat of severe typhoons and the critical importance of robust public emergency response systems. Climate scientists have documented that warming ocean temperatures are fueling more intense tropical storms carrying greater rainfall, putting coastal communities at escalating risk. The 17 deaths in the Philippines from Bavi's indirect effects show how extreme weather disproportionately harms vulnerable populations, particularly in countries with fewer resources for disaster preparedness and infrastructure protection. Taiwan's precautionary mass evacuation and transportation shutdown, despite the typhoon not making landfall, reflects hard-won lessons about prioritizing human safety over economic disruption. As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of such storms, the capacity of governments to coordinate large-scale evacuations and maintain essential services will become increasingly vital to protecting lives and reducing inequality in disaster outcomes.