A severe typhoon is headed towards the East Coast, after which forecasts have warned of rainfall up to 800mm. The disruptions have caused flight cancellations in Taiwan, China, the Philippines, and other countries.
East Asia braces itself as Typhoon Bavi is expected to sweep through the area, causing massive disruptions on domestic and international fronts. Amidst emergency evacuations, flights are being cancelled as wind speeds are expected to reach dangerous degrees. Japanese meteorological departments have estimated that the winds will reach 162 kmph. The area has not received such a strong storm in recent years.
Latest Update- Typhoon Bavi Loses Its Eye. What Does It Mean For the East Coast?
The typhoon losing its eye is actually more distressing news. Experts have expressed concern that this causes a dramatic shift in Bavi’s energy, because of which the energy has shifted from the core to the overall cloud structure. This makes the area of impact bigger than Hong Kong itself, and potentially more dangerous.
The eye disappeared on Thursday night but the symmetrical cloud system has expanded significantly to an area of 1.4M sq km. Easily 1,263 times the size of the Hong Kong area. Pressures have soared around the outer layers of the system which could mean lasting rainfalls and resulting landslides in affected areas.
Shanghai remains peaceful in the midst of the impending calamity. Days are sunny but the humidity has in the area. Beijing has received strong rains but it has not impacted the daily life of residents.
Flights in Japan Cancelled As the Country Braces For Impact
Nearly 1000 buildings in Okiwana Prefecture have lost electricity as the impact of Bravi hits Japan. The Sakishima Islands have secured homes and businesses with protective nets and boarded windows. Although when the typhoon hit, heavy downpour and violent winds followed, Ishigaki had small pieces of debris in the sky in the gale and rain.
Japan Airlines has cancelled more than 100 flights, along with All Nippon Airways, who have cancelled over 160 of theirs. These include flights from Naha, Miyako, and Painushima Ishigaki Airports. All flights connecting to and from Kagoshima Prefecture have also been cancelled. Besides flight cancellations, all ferry services have also been terminated or suspended, citing violent winds.
All Flights To and From Taiwan Cancelled Even as Bavi Weakens
Mountaineous regions of Taiwan are being evacuated as the typhoon is expected to approach from the Northern side. As the typhoon is weakening, it will not make landfall in Taiwan, but is still forecast to bring almost 1m of rain. As a result, many areas in the north and east are being evacuated. In addition, around 917 international and 274 domestic flights have been cancelled.
Schools and offices have been closed for the weekend after authorities declared it a “Typhoon Holiday”. As pressure has been eased by the decrease in energy, morale is up among citizens. Alternative communications are still intact, and the north-south high-speed rail is still functioning. Operative hours might get cut short, but it will continue to serve nonetheless.
Eastern China Issues Refund Notices For All Cancelled Flights Due To Bavi
Having crossed Taiwan, Bavi is expected to land between Fujian and Zhejuang. In some good news, Typhoon Bavi has clearly weakened and will only bring out excessive rains in the area. Albeit situation has improved, Zhoushan airport has clarified that 14 flights to and from Zhejiang are cancelled. In Wenzhou, about 17 flights have been cancelled.
Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Henan Airlines, and China Southern Airlines have started ticketing help platforms to announce fee waivers, rebooking, and refund policies. Cancelled flights passing through Quanzhou, Hangzhou and Xiamen in teh typhoon period.
With the weakened storm, winds are expected to lower to 45mps at the core. Orange alerts have still been placed as heavy rains are still expected in Taiwan, eastern China and some parts of the Chinese Mainland.
