Typhoon Saudel, the 18th named storm of the 2026 Pacific typhoon season, made landfall three times along China's southeastern coast, battering Zhejiang and Fujian provinces before the torrential rain it brought spread to Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Taiwan, causing casualties, destroyed homes and widespread flooding. Chinese authorities reported that Fujian province's cumulative evacuation total reached approximately 599,300 people, while Jiangxi province saw more than 128,500 residents affected, including a major landslide disaster that caused significant casualties. China's Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Emergency Management allocated a combined 390 million yuan in central disaster-relief funds in two rounds to support the affected provinces. By September 7, the hardest-hit areas had begun entering a post-disaster recovery phase as floodwaters receded, though search-and-rescue and recovery work continued in some areas. Notably, Fujian's coast has been struck directly by powerful typhoons several times in recent years, and Saudel's renewed wide-ranging damage this year underscores the sustained pressure that southeastern China faces each flood season to prevent and mitigate such disasters, and points to the need for stronger emergency-response capacity in both coastal and inland areas.

According to China's National Meteorological Centre and state news agency Xinhua, Typhoon Saudel made two landfalls in Zhejiang province on August 28: first along the coast of Yuhuan, Taizhou, before crossing near Hangzhou Bay and making a second landfall the same day in Longwan district, Wenzhou — both at typhoon strength. Coastal and inland areas of Zhejiang were hit by strong winds and heavy rain, with cumulative rainfall in some areas breaking historical records; power, communications and transport infrastructure were disrupted in places. Local authorities activated typhoon emergency response measures and evacuated residents from coastal and low-lying areas in advance.

After making landfall in Zhejiang, the storm weakened to tropical-storm strength and lingered briefly in the north before making a third landfall in Zhangpu County, Fujian province, on September 3. It then moved inland and gradually weakened and dissipated, but its outer bands and residual cloud systems continued to bring widespread heavy rain to Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan. Water levels in multiple rivers across Fujian rose above warning levels and, in some cases, above guaranteed safety levels; mountainous and hilly areas faced sharply elevated risks of flash floods and landslides triggered by the sustained heavy rainfall, leaving flood-control conditions tense for a period. Meteorologists noted that this round of heavy rain covered a wide area and lasted a long time, and combined with low-lying coastal terrain and fragile geological conditions in some inland mountainous areas, it further amplified the risk of flooding and geological disasters.

Under the continued influence of the typhoon and subsequent heavy rain, the number of people evacuated in Fujian rose day by day. Figures show that on August 28, the day of the first landfall in Zhejiang, Fujian had already evacuated approximately 247,700 residents in advance; by early September, as the third landfall and continued heavy rain unfolded, the province's daily new evacuation total exceeded 83,000 on a single day; and by the time the situation was largely brought under control, Fujian's cumulative evacuation total had climbed to approximately 599,300 people — among the largest typhoon-related evacuation figures the province has recorded in recent years, underscoring the scale and severity of this disaster. At the same time, coastal areas of Fujian also had large numbers of fishing boats return to port in advance to shelter from the storm, and temporarily suspended some coastal tourist attractions and public transport services to minimize loss of life and property.

After the storm weakened, the clash of cold and warm air masses continued to bring sustained heavy to torrential rain to Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan and Taiwan. Jiangxi province was notably affected: according to local civil affairs and emergency management authorities, 53 counties, cities and districts across the province were affected to varying degrees, with about 128,500 residents affected overall and roughly 8,700 people evacuated on an emergency basis. Roads and farmland in some townships were flooded, and homes and infrastructure sustained damage.

The most serious secondary disaster from this round of heavy rain struck Shixia hamlet, Mingkeng village, Gaoping township, in Suichuan County, Jiangxi's Ji'an city. In the early hours of September 5, sustained torrential rain triggered a landslide and flash mudflow in the hamlet, damaging 12 houses to varying degrees — 8 completely destroyed and 4 partially damaged. Local authorities mobilized rescue teams immediately after the disaster. Initial reports said one person was confirmed dead and 11 were missing; as rescue operations continued, some outlets later updated the toll to 2 dead and 10 missing. With search-and-rescue efforts still underway and conditions on the ground complex, the casualty figures in reporting available at this time may continue to change as rescue work progresses, and should not be treated as final.

The landslide and continuing heavy rain also temporarily blocked roads to several townships in Suichuan County with debris and mud, while some communication towers and lines were damaged, cutting several villages off from communication and transport for a time. Firefighters, armed police, militia and specialist geological-disaster rescue teams rushed to the area overnight, deploying life-detection equipment, cutting tools and drones for search operations, while also working to clear blocked roads. Authorities launched a new round of risk inspections in nearby villages with landslide hazards and carried out precautionary evacuations to prevent further secondary disasters. Power and telecommunications operators also dispatched repair crews and mobilized emergency generator trucks and satellite phones to support affected villages, aiming to restore basic communications and household electricity as quickly as possible.

To address the severe losses caused by the typhoon and heavy rain, China's Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Emergency Management, allocated central disaster-relief funds in stages. On August 28, the two ministries allocated 150 million yuan in central natural-disaster relief funds to support Zhejiang, Fujian and the Guangxi region in flood and typhoon prevention and emergency response. On September 7, the two ministries allocated a further 240 million yuan to support five provinces — Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan and Yunnan — in flood and geological-disaster emergency rescue and relief work. The two rounds combined totaled 390 million yuan, used mainly for rescue equipment and supplies, temporary living assistance for affected residents, and the repair and rebuilding of damaged homes.

As of September 7, official reports indicated that Zhejiang and Fujian, among the hardest-hit areas earlier in the disaster, had broadly entered a post-disaster recovery phase: floodwaters in the main affected areas had largely receded, and power and water supplies that had been cut were mostly restored, with coastal towns gradually returning to normal. However, in areas hit hardest by landslides, such as Suichuan County in Jiangxi, the search for missing people, verification of casualty figures, and repair of roads and communications infrastructure were still ongoing. Local and higher-level authorities said they would continue to commit relief funds and rescue personnel until all recovery and reconstruction work is completed. At the same time, local agriculture and water-resources authorities were surveying and assessing damage to farmland and irrigation facilities to prepare for restoring production and repairing embankments, while meteorological authorities said they would keep monitoring subsequent weather systems and urged affected areas to prepare for any new rounds of heavy rain to prevent the disaster situation from recurring.