Philippines Landslides: Typhoon Bavi causes severe damage, Philippines landslides have killed 15 people and are heading to Taiwan

Landslides killed at least 15 people in the Philippines as Typhoon Bavi approached Taiwan on Friday, prompting massive evacuations, traffic disruptions and emergency preparations across the region.The storm, described by Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWA) as the largest typhoon to affect Taiwan in more than three decades, is expected to hit northern and eastern Taiwan on Friday and Saturday before making landfall in eastern China. It is also expected to affect Japan’s remote southwestern islands.Heavy rains from Typhoon Bavi triggered two landslides on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, authorities said, killing at least 15 people and leaving six others missing.In Taiwan, officials were monitoring the risk of flooding, landslides and levee damage and evacuated more than 2,000 people, mostly from the mountainous eastern Hualien County, AFP reported.The CWA said the maximum sustained wind speed in Bawe has dropped to 155 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching about 190 kilometers per hour.“The typhoon may continue to weaken due to unfavorable environmental conditions,” CWA forecaster Wang Pingxiang told AFP.“Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Yilan are expected to be most affected, while the central and northern mountainous areas are expected to receive the heaviest rainfall,” he added.The authorities said that the typhoon’s strong wind radius reached 380 kilometers, making it the largest storm to hit Taiwan in more than 30 years. Schools and businesses were closed in parts of northern and eastern Taiwan on Friday, hundreds of flights were canceled and residents scrambled to prepare for the storm.Residents were seen taping up windows, stacking sandbags outside shops and protecting outdoor structures after authorities urged people to take precautions.The weather agency warned that Bawi could bring nearly a meter of rain in some areas, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. Authorities are also asking people to stay away from the coastline as waves of up to nine meters are expected.Taiwan President Lai Ching-te urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain vigilant. He called on people in areas expected to bear the brunt of the storm to remain “on high alert”.Officials said more than 28,000 troops as well as emergency machinery, equipment and vehicles are on standby to respond to any emergency.Typhoon Bavi had earlier passed through Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as a super typhoon before weakening over the Pacific.In Japan, schools and government offices were closed in parts of the remote Sakashima Islands as the storm approached.After passing near Taiwan and Japan, Bawei is expected to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend.Severe weather in southern and central China this week killed at least 39 people, caused dozens of rivers to overflow and caused a reservoir dam to burst, according to authorities.Scientists warn that rising ocean temperatures will intensify tropical storms by providing more energy and increasing atmospheric humidity. Last week, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said the world’s oceans had their hottest June on record and were likely to continue setting new temperature highs in the coming months. The return of El Niño this year is also expected to affect weather patterns across the Pacific.