Knee-deep in fierce weather, nation pulls together

Precautions in place

Before the storm arrived, Zhejiang launched one of its largest precautionary evacuations in recent years. Authorities relocated 2.68 million residents, opened more than 19,000 emergency shelters, suspended classes, shut down 830 construction sites and closed more than 400 scenic attractions.

In Anhui province, nearly 14,000 residents in Huangshan had been evacuated by Sunday evening as torrential rain lashed the city and water was released from reservoirs to make room for additional inflows.

Authorities also stepped up nationwide emergency preparedness. The Ministry of Water Resources upgraded its flood alert to yellow, while central authorities dispatched 70,000 relief items — including folding beds, blankets, summer quilts and emergency kits — to Zhejiang, Tianjin and Anhui to support evacuation and temporary resettlement efforts.

Before Bavi advanced inland, emergency responders had already begun anticipating and planning for its movements.

On July 10, shortly after completing tornado relief operations in Huanggang, Hubei province, the National Central China Regional Emergency Rescue Center and the Hubei Provincial Fire and Rescue Corps redeployed personnel across Hubei, Anhui, Henan and Jiangsu provinces ahead of the typhoon's arrival.

In Shexian county, Anhui, rescue teams established three forward operating units equipped with high-capacity drainage vehicles, amphibious rescue vehicles and inflatable boats to ensure they could respond immediately if flooding struck, according to Xinhua.

"When responding to extreme weather, rescue forces must be deployed in advance and stationed on the front line," Xu Changyou, political commissar of the Hubei Provincial Fire and Rescue Corps, told Xinhua.

Local governments across the typhoon's projected path also swung into action. In Shuanghe village in Anlu, Hubei, village officials went door to door issuing weather warnings, inspecting homes for safety hazards, and checking on more than 60 elderly residents living alone.

"We've established a one-on-one support mechanism for elderly and other vulnerable residents, with dedicated officials conducting regular checks to ensure everyone stays safe," Ye Xiaowu, the village's Party secretary, told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) in emergency funds to Zhejiang for post-disaster recovery, including repairs to roads, schools, hospitals and water conservancy facilities.