By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 5:23 AM EDT, Fri August 3, 2012

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Two tropical cyclones have made landfall in eastern China, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from coastal areas as the Philippines and Taiwan assess the damage that one of the storms left in its wake.

Tropical Storm Saola plowed into the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian on Friday morning, after the torrential rain and strong wind it brought to parts of the Philippines and Taiwan had left more than 40 people dead.

Saola arrived hours after Typhoon Damrey had reached the Chinese coast farther north in Jiangsu Province. The last time two powerful storms struck China in such quick succession was in 2006, according to CNNI Meteorologist Jennifer Delgado.

In Fujian, the authorities relocated more than 300,000 people to "safe places" ahead of Saola's arrival, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported, citing the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The authorities warned of potential floods and mudslides resulting from the storm's heavy rain.

Saola's winds had weakened by the time it hit the Chinese coast. They had been at typhoon strength when the storm slammed into Taiwan on Thursday morning, reaching more than 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph) near its center.

When Saola moved away from Taiwan on Thursday night, it had killed five people, injured 15 and left two missing, according to Taiwan's Central Emergency Operations Center. More than 6,700 people had to be evacuated from affected areas, the center said.

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