Typhoon Soudelor had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it struck southeastern China on Sunday. Nonetheless, heavy rains and strong winds left 14 people dead and 250,000 evacuated from their homes.

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Zhejiang Province and Fujian Province were most affected by the storm. At least eight people are reported to have been killed in mudslides. The storm also destroyed thousands of crops and caused more than a million people to be without power.

Wencheng County recorded 645 millimeters of rainfall in 24 hours after the typhoon struck.

Although the National Meteorological Center (NMC) reported that Soudelor would be weakened as it moves further inland, the storm still hit China with the heaviest rains recorded in a century.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Soudelor is the strongest storm on earth is year, with peak winds at 180 mph (290 kph).

In Fujian, hundreds of scheduled train departures were postponed. Three of China's biggest airlines operators also grounded more than 60 domestic flights in the region.

Before hitting China, Souledor swept through Taiwan on Saturday causing damage with winds of about 160 kilometers per hour. Six people have been reported dead and hundreds injured in the aftermath of the storm.

Soudelor left about 4 million households without electricity as it triggered landslides and ripped tress, leaving the streets filled with debris across the island. 

Taiwanese authorities report that as of Sunday only half a million people are still without power. Debris littered by the typhoon has prevented officials from restoring power in some areas.

As a result of Soudelor, officials have grounded over 300 hundred domestic and international flights.

Soldiers and rescue teams with search dogs are conducting a recovery campaign through the mud and debris.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau has warned that 16 counties and cities are liable to experience heavy rains and powerful winds.

Tagstyphoon Soudelor, China typhoon 2015