Taiwanese authorities warned that Bavi could bring rainfall of up to 1 meter (39 inches). About 29,000 soldiers are on standby to help with relief efforts, according to the island’s defense ministry.
Bobby will be the largest storm to hit the island since 1987, Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Administration told Reuters.
Farmers across the region rushed to harvest or protect their crops and fishermen secured their vessels as the weather persisted early Friday morning.
“Don’t be fooled by the nice and calm weather now. These storms can be the most frightening,” Chen Ming-hui, a 60-year-old fisherman, told Reuters.
Thousands of sandbags were distributed to residents and shopkeepers in flood-prone areas.
China warned of a “significant impact” from the typhoon, which could hit southeastern Fujian province across the strait and then move north.
“Bavi’s large size and abundant energy mean that its debris and outer rainwater bands can move from Jiangsu and Anhui provinces to the Bohai region,” said Ma Jun, director of the China Institute of Public Environmental Affairs.
He warned that northern regions, which have ‘less experience’ in dealing with typhoons compared to the south, must ‘strengthen preparedness’.
Some forecasts suggest Bavi could land in China twice.
