Storm travel chaos as Typhoon Saudel makes double landfall in China
US embassy urges American citizens to stay clear of affected coastal and storm zones and track local news for updates
Ningbo Lishe International Airport suspended all flight operations from 11.30pm on Thursday. Even though services resumed at 11am on Friday, some 16 inbound and 28 outbound flights were cancelled for the day.
In the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou, a base for private enterprise, 197 flights were grounded on Friday.
In neighbouring Shanghai, the Shanghai Passenger Ferry Company announced ferry routes were suspended from 9am on Friday, except for the Changxing-Hengsha river crossing.
Major air carriers such as Air China and China Southern Airlines have offered free rebooking or full refunds for passengers flying to and from affected hubs, including Shanghai, for travel between Thursday and Saturday.
According to the National Meteorological Centre, Typhoon Saudel made landfall along the coastal area of Yuhuan in Taizhou, Zhejiang, at about 8am, with winds of up to 126km/h (78 miles per hour) near its centre. After briefly moving out to sea, the typhoon’s centre made a second landfall at Wenzhou at about 9.10am.
The forecaster has maintained a red typhoon warning, the highest level in China’s four-tier system.
Following typhoons Bavi and Dolphin, Saudel is the third to make landfall in Zhejiang this year, equalling the province’s 2004 record of three typhoon landfalls in a single year.