Podul’s Wrath: China Faces Flood Chaos

Tropical Storm Podul made landfall in southern China’s Fujian province shortly after midnight on Thursday, bringing heavy rains and prompting widespread evacuations across several provinces. Downgraded from a typhoon after crossing Taiwan on Wednesday, the storm has triggered significant preparation efforts in Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, with alarms also raised in inland Hunan province due to its flood-prone lakes and rivers

Approximately 15,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas in southern China by Wednesday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. In Guangdong’s Chaozhou city, authorities suspended classes and some government functions, while Hong Kong issued its highest “black” rainstorm warning, halting court proceedings, including the high-profile case of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and closing outpatient clinics. The Hong Kong Observatory noted that while the storm was moving away, its outer squalls continued to pose risks, urging residents to avoid shorelines.

Podul’s impact was intensified by rainfall exceeding 70 mm per hour in parts of Guangdong, Hunan, and Jiangxi, causing disruptions to hospitals and postal services in Hong Kong. China’s weather authority reported the storm moving northwest at 30–35 km/h, with forecasts predicting further heavy to torrential rains in Jiangxi and Guizhou. Meteorologists link the increasing severity of such storms to climate change, which continues to threaten China’s economy through flooding and disrupted commerce

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In Taiwan, where Podul first struck, one person was swept out to sea, 143 were injured, and 8,000 were evacuated. Recovery efforts are underway, with power restoration prioritized after earlier criticism of slow responses. No casualties or significant damage have been reported in mainland China as of Thursday morning.

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