WENZHOU, China: Emergency crews across China's east coast cleared roads strewn with fallen trees on Sunday after Typhoon Bavi — the strongest storm to hit the country this year — swept ashore, triggering flooding and landslides after forcing nearly two million people to evacuate.
Bavi weakened to a tropical storm after moving inland, but forecasters warned the sprawling weather system could continue to bring prolonged and widespread heavy rain across eastern and northern China.
The storm first made landfall in the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang province at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday before making a second landfall around midnight in nearby Yueqing, packing maximum winds of up to 144 kph (90 mph).
In Yueqing, more than 1,300 trees were felled, with more than 700 uprooted, while floodwaters submerged streets. State television also showed a landslide in the city's mountainous northern areas, where large boulders crashed onto a mountain road and swollen rivers inundated nearby vegetation.
Authorities evacuated nearly two million people ahead of the storm, including about 1.72 million in Zhejiang province, one of China's key manufacturing and technology hubs. More than 130,000 people were also moved to safety in neighboring Fujian province, while about 34,000 residents were evacuated from vulnerable coastal areas of Shanghai.
Officials suspended classes, work, public transport and outdoor activities in parts of Zhejiang before Bavi's arrival. More than 400 flights and dozens of train services were canceled as authorities prepared for what they described as a worst-case scenario.
The storm swept past northern Taiwan before striking China, bringing strong winds and torrential rain across much of the island. Nearly 80 centimeters (31 inches) of rain fell in parts of Miaoli County.
Taiwan's fire department said 134 people were injured, mostly after falling from motorcycles, slipping or being struck by falling objects. No deaths were reported.
The island's transport ministry said 137 international and 62 domestic flights were canceled on Sunday. Earlier, more than 14,000 people had been evacuated from their homes and over 170,000 households lost power as Bavi skirted Taiwan's northern coast.
Before reaching Taiwan and China, Bavi battered Japan's remote southwestern islands, leaving thousands of households without electricity and forcing airlines to cancel dozens of flights affecting more than 26,000 passengers.
In the Philippines, the death toll from heavy rains and landslides associated with the storm rose to 18, with nearly 11,000 people displaced and dozens of ports remaining closed.
Bavi struck after days of extreme weather across southern and central China, where storms have killed at least 39 people, caused dozens of rivers to overflow and triggered the failure of a reservoir dam.
Scientists say warming ocean temperatures are contributing to more intense tropical cyclones by providing additional heat and moisture. The return of the El Niño climate pattern this year is also expected to influence weather conditions across the Pacific.
