Typhoon Saudel unleashed torrential rain and severe flooding across China’s southern and eastern coastal provinces, swamping roads, sweeping away vehicles, and causing a three-story building to collapse in Jinxi village. The storm made its third landfall along the Chinese coast in a matter of days, with Fujian province bearing the brunt of the damage as rivers overflowed and low-lying neighborhoods were submerged.
Authorities evacuated more than 83,000 people in Fujian alone while suspending public transport, closing schools, and activating emergency flood-control protocols. Emergency crews and firefighters used inflatable rescue boats and carried residents, including elderly people and children, through waist-deep and chest-deep floodwaters in Minhou county and Fuding city. In Putian, floodwaters spilled over major roads and damaged bridge infrastructure.
Saudel is the seventh typhoon to strike China in 2026 and the third storm to hit Yuhuan in eastern Zhejiang province within less than two months. Rescue and relief operations continued as authorities warned residents to remain cautious of continued waterlogging and further flooding risks during cleanup efforts.