China braces for Super Typhoon Bavi, urges preparedness

China has called for shelters to stock up with at least three days’ worth of supplies and rolling weather forecasts to be issued, with rescue teams on 24-hour call as super typhoon Bavi is predicted to land on the eastern coast between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the government of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province said all departments should be “highly alert” and prepared for the worst.

The statement called for officials to review past cases, including Typhoon Lekima, which killed 66 people in the east of the country and caused heavy flooding in 2019.

There should be more precise forecasts and analyses over the typhoon’s impact, evacuation plans should be drafted in advance, people need to be alerted through news and phone messages and emergency supplies prepared, it said.

A reservoir in the area has started discharging floodwaters in preparation for the severe rainfall expected in the next few days.

Since reaching super typhoon status on Saturday, Bavi has continued to move west and brought catastrophic winds to western Pacific islands this week. Currently it is nearing Taiwan, where its worst effects are predicted to be felt on Friday and Saturday.

According to meteorological forecasts, after grazing the northern part of Taiwan Bavi is likely to make landfall along the coastal area near the Zhejiang-Fujian border on Saturday, affecting the eastern provinces and Shanghai, before moving gradually inland and northward.