Typhoon Saudel Forces Mass Evacuations as China Braces for Landfall
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Typhoon Saudel has forced China into emergency mode as the seventh typhoon of the year barrels toward its densely populated eastern coastline. Zhejiang and Fujian provinces have activated Level 3 emergency responses, closed coastal scenic areas, and begun mass evacuations as the storm entered the East China Sea on Wednesday morning. The National Meteorological Centre warns that landfall is expected between Thursday night and Friday morning, with affected areas spanning from Xiangshan in Zhejiang to Fuqing in Fujian. Regional transportation networks have been severely disrupted, with hundreds of ferry routes suspended and flights cancelled across Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Key Points
- Typhoon Saudel entered the East China Sea on Wednesday morning, with landfall forecast between Thursday night and Friday morning along the coast from Xiangshan in Zhejiang to Fuqing in Fujian
- Zhejiang province raised its emergency response to Level 3, closed all coastal scenic areas, and evacuated more than 4,100 tourists from island resorts
- More than 90 passenger ferry routes in Zhejiang were suspended as of Monday morning, with 146 offshore construction projects halted and 527 vessels moved to safe anchorages
- In Taizhou city, all 18 passenger ferry routes were suspended, 32 maritime construction projects halted, and 67 associated vessels relocated to safe waters
- Ningbo suspended 22 passenger routes and halted 39 offshore construction projects, while Wenzhou suspended all 13 coastal passenger routes
- Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport saw 16 flights cancelled, affecting carriers including Peach, China Airlines, EVA Air, Starlux, and Thai Lion Air
- Hong Kong Airlines fully cancelled HX658/HX659 flights between Hong Kong and Okinawa, while HK Express rescheduled services to August 27
Why It Matters
This marks the seventh typhoon to make landfall in China this year, following previous storms including Typhoon Bavi that brought torrential rain and devastating floods. The combination of the approaching storm and ongoing recovery efforts from earlier typhoons places additional strain on coastal emergency response infrastructure. Hong Kong travellers to and from Japan should monitor carrier announcements as regional flight disruptions are expected to continue through the landfall period .
This marks the seventh typhoon to make landfall in China this year, following previous storms including Typhoon Bavi that brought torrential rain and devastating floods. The combination of the approaching storm and ongoing recovery efforts from earlier typhoons places additional strain on coastal emergency response infrastructure. Hong Kong travellers to and from Japan should monitor carrier announcements as regional flight disruptions are expected to continue through the landfall period .