China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong remained under emergency flood protocols Friday after Typhoon Saudel slammed into the region with torrential rain, triggering flash floods, dike breaches and building collapses that left multiple residents missing and forced tens of thousands from their homes.
What Happened When Typhoon Saudel Made Landfall?
Saudel made its third landfall along the Fujian coast on the morning of September 3 after intensifying over the South China Sea, becoming the seventh typhoon to strike China so far in 2026. The storm dumped extreme rainfall across the region before weakening into a tropical depression over Meizhou, Guangdong, by the afternoon. China’s National Meteorological Center stopped tracking the system as a numbered storm later that evening as its circulation weakened and became difficult to locate, even as the rain it left behind continued to cause damage across both provinces.
How Severe Was the Flooding in Putian?
The hardest-hit area was Huating Town in Putian’s Chengxiang District, where a dike near Xihu Village overtopped and breached in the mid-afternoon of September 3. Floodwater surged into nearby villages and an industrial area, trapping residents in their homes. Local authorities said more than 100 houses collapsed and that multiple people remained missing, cautioning that the count could change as search, rescue and damage assessments continued. In the city’s urban core, where the Mulan River flows through downtown, floodwaters spilled over major highways, damaged bridge structures and inundated residential buildings, according to verified social media footage.
How Are Rescue Crews Responding?
Firefighters and rescue teams fanned out across multiple counties to reach trapped residents. In Fuding, a coastal city known for its tea plantations, crews waded through waist-deep floodwaters to carry elderly residents to safety. In the nearby mountain community of Jinxi, rising floodwaters destroyed a three story house. In Minhou County near Fuzhou, rescue workers used boats to evacuate stranded residents, including children, from flooded neighborhoods. Provincial flood control authorities reported that roughly 83,700 people had been evacuated from marine and inland risk areas as of Friday morning.
Just How Much Rain Fell, and What Comes Next?
Rainfall totals reached as high as 565.5 millimeters, or roughly 22 inches, in some parts of Fujian, according to national meteorological data. Fifty rivers across the province exceeded official warning levels at 74 hydrological stations between September 3 and 4. Fujian’s provincial flood control emergency response was raised to Level II on September 2 and remained in effect through Friday, alongside a separate Level IV typhoon response. Classes were suspended across Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Ningde, and public transportation was halted in multiple coastal areas as authorities urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
Is More Flooding Risk Expected?
China’s Ministry of Natural Resources warned that continued heavy rainfall poses a heightened risk of secondary disasters, particularly landslides, since recent downpours have already pushed rivers in the region past warning thresholds and left low lying communities inundated. Saudel followed closely on the heels of Typhoon Narra, which brought heavy rain to Guangxi, Hainan and Guangdong late last month, compounding saturated ground conditions across the region. Forecasters said Fujian and Guangdong should brace for additional rain through the weekend as the storm’s remnants continue to move through the area.
This story is developing. FOU News will continue to follow developments as authorities and emergency services release new information.
