Kumar Bahukhandi
A man rides his motorbike as strong waves break along the coast in Yilan as Typhoon Bavi moves toward Northeastern Taiwan. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP)
Bavi’s maximum sustained wind speeds slowed to 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour, with gusts of around 190 kilometres per hour, on Friday
KEELUNG, Taiwan: Fifteen people were killed in landslides in the Philippines and thousands in Taiwan were evacuated from their homes as the biggest typhoon in decades neared the region on Friday.
Typhoon Bavi is expected to pound Taiwan’s north and east, as well as Japan’s remote southwestern islands, on Friday and Saturday before smashing into China, which has been hit by deadly storms this week.
Two landslides triggered by heavy rains driven by Bavi killed at least 15 people and left six others missing on the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao, authorities said.
Locals in Taiwan’s port city of Keelung, which is expected to be one of the hardest hit areas on the island, stocked up on food, taped windows and stacked sandbags along shopfronts, heeding warnings from authorities to take precautions.
“They’re saying it’s going to be huge; of course that’s scary, right?” Keelung grocery store owner Chang Shih-huo, 76, told AFP.
“We’ve stocked up on some instant noodles and bread and stuff like that. Once the wind and rain really start picking up, we’ll have to close the shop.”
After hitting Guam and the Northern Marianas on Monday as a super typhoon, Bavi was downgraded to a typhoon as it moved across the Pacific Ocean.
Bavi’s maximum sustained wind speeds slowed to 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour, with gusts of around 190 kilometres per hour, on Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
“From tonight through daytime tomorrow will be the period when the typhoon is closest to Taiwan and its impact will be the most significant,” CWA forecaster Liao Chwen-huey said
Bavi’s strong-wind radius of 380 kilometres will make it the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan in more than 30 years.
Many schools and businesses were shuttered on Friday across northern and eastern Taiwan, and hundreds of flights were cancelled. In Keelung, locals flocked to a fresh food market to buy fruit and vegetables, street vendors secured their stands and a temple covered and tied down an outdoor statue ahead of the storm.
“What you’re seeing now is the most remarkable sight we haven’t seen in 10 years,” Keelung restaurant owner Penny Pan, 48, said as her husband placed sandbags at the entrance to their eatery.
“In the past we never used sandbags to prepare for typhoons. But this time they’re forecasting Force 10 gusts, so the captains and fishermen have all been saying we need to be better prepared,” Pan said.
– ‘Strong winds and heavy rain’ –
Bavi is expected to dump up to nearly a metre of rain, raising concerns about potential flooding and landslides.
The strongest winds are expected on Saturday. People were ordered to stay away from the shore as the typhoon whipped up to nine metre (30 foot) waves. Nearly 9,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, more than half in the mountainous county of Hualien in Taiwan’s east, where authorities are monitoring two barrier dams.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te urged people in areas likely to be most affected by Bavi to remain on “high alert”. More than 28,000 troops, along with machinery, equipment and vehicles, were on standby to respond to emergencies. “We’re worried,” said Samuel Fu, who works in a noodle shop in the coastal district of Bali, in New Taipei City.
“This is the first time we’ve experienced such a big typhoon… since we opened the shop,” 20-year-old Fu told AFP. On Japan’s remote Sakashima islands, schools and offices were closed in some areas as the typhoon approached, with forecasters warning of high waves, storms and landslides.
Dozens of flights were cancelled, affecting thousands of passengers. “We’ve covered objects with nets so that they won’t fly away… the storm is getting gradually stronger right now,” Masaru Nakamura, who works at a hotel on Miyako island, told AFP. On Okinawa, Koki Ohama said his water sports and barbeque business in the major city of Naha would suffer from the storm.
“We were originally fully reserved this weekend, but bookings were all cancelled, so it’s painful,” the 30-year-old said. After slamming into the Japanese islands and sweeping past Taiwan’s northern tip, Bavi is expected to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend.
Extreme weather has already wreaked havoc on southern and central China this week, with storms leaving at least 39 dead and causing dozens of rivers to overflow and a reservoir dam to burst.
Oceans experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said last week. Warmer oceans help tropical storms to intensify and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain.
Adding to the mix is the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that warms Pacific surface temperatures and typically occurs every two to seven years.
( Source : AFP )
