Tokyo/Taipei – Typhoon Bavi was passing near Japan’s Sakishima Islands in Okinawa Prefecture on Saturday morning, bringing strong winds and rains to the area, according to the weather agency.
The typhoon, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 meters per second and maximum gusts of 55 meters per second, was moving north-northwest as of 10 a.m. in an area some 90 kilometers from Okinawa’s Miyako Island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
While the storm was expected to pass through the area in the afternoon, the agency warned of continued strong winds and rain.
Taiwan’s government, meanwhile, has evacuated more than 14,000 people from mainly mountainous areas as the island shut down for the medium-strength typhoon, which is expected to bring a deluge of rain and strong wind in exposed areas.
While Bavi, which is gradually weakening, will not make landfall on Taiwan, the government is taking all precautions to prevent loss of life, given forecasts for almost 1 meter of rain in some areas.
Most of those evacuated were in areas in the north and east, with 917 international flights canceled as well as all 274 domestic flights.
Almost all cities and counties across Taiwan declared a typhoon holiday for Saturday, closing any offices and schools that may have been open over the weekend. The main north-south high speed rail line remained open, but with a reduced service.
In the capital, Taipei, there was blustery wind and rain with some people still out on the street.
“It’s OK, it’s not that serious,” said Taipei resident Yeh Mao-hsiung, 68, out for a morning walk with his dog. “It’s just a little bit more wind.”
After passing by Taiwan to the northeast having crossed Japan’s Sakishima Islands, a remote island chain that is part of Okinawa Prefecture, Bavi is forecast to hit the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, home to 10 million people, early Sunday.