Schools, ferry routes suspended as Typhoon Saudel lashes east China

Authorities in eastern China's Fujian province closed schools and suspended ferry services on Thursday due to Typhoon Saudel's heavy rain. The storm made landfall on China's eastern coast on August 28, 2026, marking its third time hitting China. Previous landfalls had occurred in neighboring Zhejiang province. Schools in Fuzhou and Quanzhou halted in-person activities, and some tourist attractions closed temporarily in Fuzhou.

Twenty-four passenger ferry routes along Fujian's coast were halted. The province's emergency management authority warned of rainstorms and potential secondary disasters, such as flash floods and landslides. Over 247,700 people in high-risk areas were evacuated last week due to heavy rain warnings. In July, Typhoon Maysak caused devastating floods in southern China's Guangxi region, killing at least 159 people.

Scientists predict that as the planet continues to warm due to fossil fuel emissions, extreme weather events will become more frequent and intense. China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is also a leader in renewable energy, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060. A recent catastrophic flood in the Nepal-China Tibet border area claimed over 1,200 lives and left more than 4,750 people missing as of Thursday, underscoring global concerns over climate change's growing risks.