TAIPEI, Taiwan -- China braced Thursday for heavy rains as Tropical Storm Podul made landfall in several southern provinces and thousands of people were evacuated.

Typhoon Podul brings heavy rain to southern China after injuring scores in Taiwan - Typhoon forces nearly 8,000 people from homes in Taiwan before making another landfall in China

Typhoon Podul weakened to a severe tropical storm when it roared ashore in southeastern China, state media said, after carving a path across Taiwan, shutting down businesses, grounding flights and knocking out power to thousands of homes.