AT least 15 people were killed in landslides in the Philippines, and more than 2,000 in Taiwan were evacuated from their homes, as the biggest typhoon in decades neared the region.
Typhoon Bavi was expected to pound Taiwan’s north and east, as well as Japan’s remote southwestern islands, yesterday and today 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 yesterday.
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 shop fronts, heeding warnings from authorities to take precautions.
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 kph, with gusts of around 190 kph, yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
“The typhoon is likely to continue weakening because environmental conditions are not favourable,” CWA forecaster Wang Ping-hsiang said.
“The greatest impact is expected in Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Yilan, while the heaviest rainfall is forecast for mountainous areas in central and northern Taiwan.”
Bavi’s strong-wind radius of 380km will make it the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan in more than 30 years.
Schools and businesses were shuttered yesterday 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.”
Bavi is expected to dump up to nearly a metre of rain, raising fears of potential flooding and landslides. People were ordered to avoid the shore as the typhoon whipped up to nine-metre waves.
More than 2,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, mostly in the mountainous county of Hualien in Taiwan’s east, where authorities are monitoring two barrier dams.
More than 28,000 troops, along with machinery, equipment and vehicles, were on standby to respond to emergencies.
On Japan’s remote Sakashima islands, schools and offices were closed in some areas, with forecasters warning of high waves, storms and landslides.
After slamming into the Japanese islands and sweeping past Taiwan’s northern tip, Bavi is expected to reach eastern China over the weekend. — AFP
