Typhoon Saudel triggers floods across China’s southern coast
Typhoon Saudel brings torrential rain and flooding to Fujian and Guangdong, forcing evacuations and raising landslide risks.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong were bracing for further torrential rain on Friday (September 4) after Typhoon Saudel unleashed severe downpours, flooding communities, swamping vehicles and damaging buildings.
In Fuding, a city in Fujian known for its tea-growing areas, firefighters waded through waist-deep floodwater to carry elderly residents to safety, according to social-media footage verified by Reuters.
Nearby Jinxi village was also hit by fast-moving floodwaters that inundated homes and caused a three-storey brick building to collapse. Local authorities have closed schools, suspended public transport and activated emergency flood measures in several coastal areas.
Saudel makes third landfall
Saudel made its third landfall along the Fujian coast on Thursday morning after strengthening again over the South China Sea.
It is the seventh typhoon to make landfall in China this year and the third to hit Yuhuan in eastern Zhejiang in less than two months, a sequence described by the China Meteorological Administration as extremely rare. Experts have linked the unusual pattern closely to El Niño.
During an El Niño year, the Western Pacific subtropical high can become particularly strong and shift further north, steering typhoons along a more north-westerly path towards China’s eastern coastline.
The United Nations warned on Thursday that El Niño could strengthen further into 2027 and potentially become the most powerful on record, increasing the risk of prolonged extreme weather.
More than 83,000 evacuated in Fujian
Hundreds of thousands of people have been relocated across Zhejiang and neighbouring provinces since late August as authorities responded to successive storms.
More than 83,000 residents in Fujian alone have been evacuated as Saudel moved inland and continued to bring heavy rain to surrounding areas.
Saudel follows Typhoon Narra, which brought heavy rainfall to Guangxi, Hainan and Guangdong late last month.
China’s Ministry of Natural Resources has warned that continued torrential rain could trigger secondary disasters, particularly landslides. Rivers in some areas have already risen above warning levels, while low-lying communities remain vulnerable to further flooding.
Source: Reuters
