3-Story Building Swept Away In Seconds! “Dead” Typhoon Saudel Returns, Half Of China Underwater

Fujian province has been battered by extreme rainstorms in recent days. A three-story building was completely washed away by floodwaters, as local residents posted videos online seeking help. A rare scene unfolded in typhoon history. Typhoon Soudel, which had already been retired and removed from official tracking, suddenly regained strength over waters near Hainan Island, and once again struck China's southeastern coast on September 1st. On September 2nd, the storm caused severe flooding in Diantou town in Fujian province. Muddy floodwaters carrying debris rushed through streets, sweeping away multiple vehicles. Street-side businesses were submerged, including the locally famous China No. 1 White Tea Street. Many shop owners suffered heavy losses. Some residents said the rainfall was a once-in-a-century event. A resident of Diantou town told reporters Flooding began on the night of September 1st. In low-lying areas, the water reached depths of 6 to 10 feet. Businesses suffered major losses, and so far, no outside assistance has arrived. Most residents have had to deal with the damage themselves. Another local resident told media that the storm lasted about two hours and floodwaters swept away many belongings, including cars. He said, The water has gone down now, but there has been no official assistance. Residents are cleaning up on their own. The losses are severe. There may already have been casualties, but no figures are available yet. A tea factory owner said all tea leaves on the first floor of his shop were soaked, and even the heavy front door was washed away by the flood. A local woman interviewed by media said the water flooded an entire floor of her shop in less than half an hour, leaving no time to move anything. She said she had never seen such severe flooding in decades. Most shops were located on the first floor and were completely submerged. Some vehicles were already swept away. Her family's losses had already exceeded 1 million yuan, or about 140,000 U.S. dollars. A resident surnamed Huang said that around 11 p.m. on September 1st, the rain felt like water being poured from a basin, and continued for several hours. Within just five or six hours, the town's streets were flooded. Water reached the depth of nearly 10 feet, almost reaching the second floor. When residents woke up in the middle of the night, floodwaters had already risen to around halfway up the first floor. The owner of a well-known white tea brand store said she only learned her shop had flooded after receiving a call from a neighbor in the early hours of September 2nd. Her husband, who was in downtown Huding, immediately drove toward Diantou Town, but the roads were blocked. Another tea shop owner in Diantou Town said some storefronts along the streets had been flooded, including his own shop. Some tea products could not be moved in time. The store had several hundred thousand yuan worth of tea stored inside, and all of it was ruined after being soaked. According to Ningde Television's report on September 2nd, the heavy rain caused severe urban flooding and water logging, while some mountain roads collapsed. Authorities implemented, quote, three suspensions and one closure, end quote, across the city, including suspending work, production, classes and market operations. Several schools in Huding City also announced temporary closures. Tongnan Primary School in Huding suspended classes for one day on September 2nd, with all students staying home to avoid danger. A resident in Houshou Town in Fujian Province said the area was also severely affected. Fast-moving floodwaters rushed into streets and communities, sweeping away many vehicles and flooding roadside businesses. Some residents claimed that workers responsible for operating a water gate had gone out drinking, and the gate was not open in time, causing the river to overflow. Typhoon Soudel, the 18th named storm of this year, originally made landfall in Zhejiang Province and battered southern China before gradually weakening. However, after moving offshore from western Guangdong, its remnants strengthened into a tropical depression known as TD20. In the early hours of September 1st, it strengthened again into a typhoon over the South China Sea. China's National Meteorological Center also issued a Blue Typhoon Warning. The agency forecast that over the following days, the combined effects of Typhoon Soudel, the monsoon trough, and cold air would bring torrential rain to parts of the Jiangnan region, eastern and southern South China. Heavy rain was also expected in western Yunnan, southeastern Tibet, northern and eastern Heilongjiang, and northeastern Jilin. Former Hong Kong Observatory Director Lam Chu-ying wrote on social media that after Soudel entering Zhejiang from the East China Sea, it gradually weakened but maintained its vortex structure and continued moving southwest before strengthening again into a tropical depression. Regarding the typhoon's dramatic revival, Lam Chu-ying asked, What exactly is nature trying to tell us? He said that after 50 years working in meteorology, he had never seen a typhoon behave like this. He added, Humans often boast about high technology, but how can that compare with the mysteries of the weather? He warned that Soudel would linger near Hong Kong over the next few days and urged residents to remain alert. Also affected by the revived Soudel and a northern trough on the storm's western side, southern Zhejiang had experienced torrential rain since September 1st, with some areas hit by extreme rainfall. According to China Weather Network, from 8am on September 1st to 8am on September 2nd, Kunnan and Wenzhou recorded about 15 inches of rainfall at a national weather station, breaking its highest single-day rainfall record since observations began. Data from regional automatic weather stations showed that some areas in southern Zhejiang and northeastern Fujian received more than 16 inches of rain. On the afternoon of September 2nd, the Wenzhou Meteorological Bureau upgraded the rainstorm warning for urban Wenzhou from a yellow alert to a red alert. Affected by persistent heavy rainfall, many areas of Wenzhou experienced severe waterlogging, with some roads submerged under deep water. Various districts in Wenzhou successively issued school suspension notices. More than 120 people across the city have been relocated. Kunnan County was one of the areas hit hardest by the extreme rainfall. Severe flooding affected multiple towns, including Lingxi, Zhaoxi, Jianku, and Mazan, leaving some residents trapped. On the morning of September 2nd, a Kunnan resident Mr. Xu told reporters, Last night, many residents saw the water rising and went to supermarkets to stock up on supplies. At its steepest, the water rose more than three feet, covering people's thighs. Some small cars were completely submerged, and water even entered the first floors of buildings along the streets. Today, some relocation districts and older residential areas have lost water and power. In the lower-lying areas that were hit the hardest, most people are staying home and not going out to work. He said that on the street outside his window, where flooding was not as severe, around 40 to 50 vehicles had already been submerged. Some people even took out inflatable boats to travel outside. Kunnan Vocational Secondary School was severely affected because it sits in a low-lying area. Floodwaters quickly rose across the campus and entered the first floor of dormitory buildings. In the deepest areas, the water rose above the vehicle roofs. More than 2,500 teachers and students were trapped on campus. Teachers and students who remained behind could only pass drinking water, milk, and other emergency supplies up to the second floor and above. Surrounding roads were completely blocked, cutting off transportation and supply deliveries. The school also lost water and electricity, creating serious challenges for students and staff. In addition, some areas experienced landslides. On September 2, a landslide severely blocked the spillway of Jinji Long Reservoir in Qixi Town, causing the reservoir water level to rise dangerously and creating a risk of overflow. Multiple sections of County Road 528 and the Daibang Line were hit by landslides, with large amounts of mud, rocks, and fallen trees covering the roads. Traffic was completely cut off, leaving Qianmen Village temporarily isolated. Meanwhile, Soudel continued moving inland and affecting China's southwestern regions, while authorities again responded by releasing water from reservoirs without advance warning. In recent days, Menglao County in Yunnan Province had been hit by torrential rain, causing severe flooding. The Yantan Reservoir in Molong Village, Mohan Town, faced a potential dam failure, forcing more than 8,000 people to evacuate. Yunnan's Zaotong City was also affected by the storms. A local hydropower station opened its floodgates, causing the water level of the Baishui River to rise rapidly and flood nearby streets. Villagers said their homes were first hit by flooding and then damaged by landslides. Floodwaters broke through foundations, cracked walls, and caused heavy losses. Residents in Zhejiang Province have also suffered from reservoir releases. On September 1st, two major reservoirs in Kan'an County, Chaodun Reservoir and Wujiayuan Reservoir, opened their floodgates. Parts of the county town, along with Bingxin Town, Zaoshi Town, and low-lying areas along rivers, experienced severe flooding. Many shops, vehicles, and farmland were submerged, causing major losses. The county implemented a five-suspension emergency measure, including stopping classes, work, businesses, transportation, and shipping. Chen, a shop owner in Lingxi Town, Kan'an County, said, Yesterday afternoon after 4 p.m. there was torrential rain. Our area was hit the hardest. The two reservoirs released a large amount of water yesterday, and the flooding reached more than three feet. By around 2 a.m. last night, the water was already this high, up to my thighs. There's no time to react to the warning. The losses are huge. Even the schools were flooded. Another local resident, Ms. Lin, said, The water has entered my home and reached about three feet. I couldn't sleep at all. The roads are all flooded, and there is nowhere for the water to drain. Cars have been submerged, and the farmland was flooded long ago. The biggest problem is that the flood release and drainage systems were not properly managed. Wenzhou's Pingyang County was also severely affected. Water levels rose rapidly in the early hours of the morning, leaving many residents awake all night. Huang, a resident of Mapo Town in Pingyang County, told reporters, The typhoon came back with a vengeance, and now we're flooded again. Several streets are underwater. It's the middle of the night, and nobody can sleep. I'm actually exhausted, but I'm afraid the water will keep rising. This month alone, I don't even know how many times the water has risen. Ruiyan City in Wenzhou withstood the first three typhoons this year, but it was unable to withstand the fully revived Soudel. Starting on September 1st, many streets in Ruiyan turned into rivers, leaving first-floor shop owners devastated. Many shoe factories in the area were flooded, with blue shoeboxes floating throughout the streets. A person familiar with the situation said many villagers were searching for shoes in the floodwaters, while one young man spent an entire day looking for the front gate of his home, which had been washed away. Chen, a shop owner in Tangxia Town, Ruiyan City, said, The rain was unbelievably heavy. The drainage system was overwhelmed, and my shop had already flooded. I don't even know where the water came from. I kept using buckets to scoop it out, but I couldn't keep up. I haven't even eaten. I really feel like crying. Everyone is saying it feels like the sky is falling. Who is going to help us? Experts said the severity of the disasters in China was largely due to authorities failing to issue timely warnings, along with a pattern of concealing disasters and risks, which has worsened losses of lives and property among ordinary people. A researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Chen Mingshi said, In fact, the collapse of the Lulan Reservoir in Guangxi in July this year, as well as the Zhenzhou floods and Zouzhou floods in recent years, were all caused by unannounced water releases, resulting in serious casualties. It's the same as the mudslide disaster in Tibet. So far, the reported death toll there remains in the single digits, while Nepal has reported more than 1,000 deaths and 5,000 to 6,000 missing people. But the Chinese Communist Party's reported death toll is only in the single digits. Analysts also pointed out that because of systemic problems within the Chinese Communist Party's governing structure, Officials fear losing their positions, making so-called early warnings little more than a formality. An expert with the Henan Geological Bureau, Yang Kun said, Regarding warnings, I personally believe that in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party, they are basically just a decoration. Take the July 20th floods in Zhenzhou in 2021 as an example. The government did not issue a red alert at the time, but what happened? The subway did not stop operating. The Jingguan Road tunnel was not closed, and officials did not evacuate people from dangerous areas. None of that happened. In the end, they even concealed the deaths of 140 people. It was extremely frightening. The only thing these officials fear is losing their positions. Chen Ming-shih added, The reason for not issuing warnings is to avoid economic compensation or administrative accountability. If you issue a warning but serious damage still occurs, it proves that you knew about the danger beforehand and the government's responsibility becomes very clear. In addition to failing to issue warnings beforehand, the authorities' response after the disaster has also drawn criticism. As of September 2nd, official figures from Nepal showed that the floods had killed 1,114 people, left 3,916 people missing, and resulted in 11,993 rescues. Nepalese police posted more than 2,000 unidentified body photos on their official website along with DNA information to help families identify victims. By comparison, the Chinese Communist Party authorities reported only 21 deaths and more than 500 missing people. One week after the disaster, official Chinese media coverage suggested that the only victim rescued from the mud was a giant rabbit-stuffed toy. Some users said the authorities' slow rescue efforts were aimed at maintaining stability. They said the aggressive suppression of disaster-related information served the same purpose. To strengthen the deterrent effect, Chinese police recently announced that 10 people had been punished for spreading disaster rumors. According to the official statement, most were targeted for estimating the death toll. One of them was a user surnamed Jiang from Chamdo, Tibet, who was given administrative punishment simply for posting online. That mudslide was terrifying. At Girong Port on the China-Nepal border, the official number of missing people is more than 480. Adding to the Nepal side, I estimate the death toll could reach over 1,000. Online users mocked the authorities, saying later figures from both China and Nepal had already proven Jiang's estimate was accurate and asked whether the authorities would apologize and clear his name. Many commented, of course not, he said it too early. The official numbers haven't been updated yet, so he's still considered a rumor spreader. Others wrote, he gave an estimate while they had specific numbers, so that counts as a rumor. Even if he was off by just one person, they would probably still call it misinformation, another person added. During the pandemic, some people who were accused of spreading rumors and taken away by health enforcement officers are still in prison. Some even question, is it possible that this so-called Jiang does not even exist and the story was fabricated simply to scare people into staying silent? During this latest disaster, Huawei also drew criticism after attempting to use the tragedy for publicity. On August 30th, Huawei executive director and head of the consumer business group Richard Yu posted a video promoting the company's new Mate X2 ultimate design tri-fold smartphone. In the comments section of his Weibo post, a user with an IP address in Nepal named Kualan Memories claimed he personally experienced the August 26th Nepal mudslide disaster. He said that after losing internet access, he used Huawei's satellite messaging feature to stay in contact with the outside world, successfully called a helicopter and was transported to safety. The user also posted a photo showing a helicopter rescue. The details of this so-called Huawei user's rescue remain unclear. However, on Chinese social media, his account triggered renewed criticism of Huawei. Many users accused the company of exploiting the disaster for marketing, writing comments such as For marketing purposes, Huawei has gone this far, even profiting from people's suffering, and this is disgusting. Others questioned Another user wrote Another comment said Last time, Huawei was even said to have stopped a bullet and saved someone's life. Huawei is still far ahead, not just slightly ahead, but ahead of competitors by 10 million percent. Some users also said Some users with years of experience using satellite messaging said that phones from domestic brands can receive Chinese Beidou satellite messages, but satellite phone services have strict requirements. Users need to pay in advance, be in open areas, and point towards the satellite. Without the right conditions, they are practically impossible to use. One user said indifference towards ordinary people and disasters, as well as a lack of basic common sense.