The passage of the powerful typhoon “Bavi“ along the coast of Taiwan left behind serious property damage, massive power outages and at least 135 injured citizens. Official authorities in Taipei confirmed that thanks to timely measures and the large-scale preventive evacuation of over 14,000 people from mountainous regions, the country avoided no casualties or deaths.
According to the Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) in Taiwan, most of the victims suffered fractures and injuries from falling objects or were involved in motorcycle accidents due to hurricane-force winds and torrential rains.
Record downpour and blocked transportation
Although the eye of the storm did not make a direct hit on Taiwan's landmass, its peripheral belts brought historic amounts of rainfall. Miaoli County recorded record 770.5 mm of rain, and in Hsinchu County – 743 mm. The storm triggered dozens of landslides that blocked key railway routes, including the popular Alishan tourist line.
More than 249,000 households on the island were left without electricity at the peak of the storm, but emergency crews have now restored power to almost the entire country. Aviation authorities were forced to cancel hundreds of international and domestic flights, and sea transport was completely paralyzed for the weekend.
The Asian reckoning: The victims are in the Philippines
Although Taiwan and southern Japan (where Okinawa Prefecture also suffered the blow with power outages for 24,000 homes) escaped without any deaths, Typhoon “Bavi“ proved fatal to other parts of the region:
- Philippines: The storm, although passing sideways, intensified the powerful monsoons and caused severe landslides and flooding that claimed the lives of at least 18 people.
- China: Authorities in Beijing and the eastern province of Zhejiang took unprecedented measures, evacuating nearly 2 million people before “Bavi“ to make landfall in the Wenzhou area.
Forecasters said the storm had weakened to a tropical depression after making landfall in China, but the risk of further dangerous flooding inland remained high.