As Typhoon Bavi approached Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) oversaw the disaster preparedness measures across the island. Bavi is set to be Taiwan’s biggest storm so far this year, and the National Armed Forces have mobilized 28,000 troops to potential disaster areas to help with preparations.

On Friday, July 10, the president and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) attended a meeting at the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) for damage and preparedness assessment.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a sea warning Thursday evening, and a land warning early Friday morning, saying the storm would be especially strong in areas north of Taoyuan. Disaster prevention experts also noted that special attention should be paid to the low-lying areas across Taiwan and near the coast, as well as Yilan, Taipei, New Taipei, Hsinchu, and Miaoli, which are at a high risk of flooding from heavy rains.

In Hualien, residents downstream of the Wanli Creek were evacuated Friday morning due to the possibility of a dam overflow – even though waters are currently eight meters below the crest of the landslide dam.

CEOC Commander and Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) also warned that Typhoon Bavi will bring strong, and possibly gale-force winds to the coastal and northern mountainous areas. With the possibility of gale-force 12 winds in these densely populated areas, she said, warnings must be issued to the public. The CWA announced it will send SMS alerts to affected areas two hours before winds are forecast, and remind the public to seek shelter.

Following safety briefings, the president said that the central and local governments must strengthen their cooperation. He urged the central government to keep monitoring disaster preparedness and local governments to immediately raise any needs they encounter.

Lai also said that the National Army has 28,000 troops on standby to assist in disaster relief, and that he personally inspected preparations at the Lanyang Regional Command on Thursday. The president announced that all personnel and equipment are prepared, with troops preemptively deployed to possible disaster areas.