As tropical storm Nanmadol approaches eastern Fujian Province, flights have been canceled, shipping lines remain suspended, and fishermen have been evacuated as gales and rainstorms swept coastal cities on Tuesday morning.

Previously categorized as a typhoon, Nanmadol was downgraded to a tropical storm around 10 a.m. Monday, and was forecast to hit the southern parts of Fujian on Tuesday afternoon, according to the provincial meteorological bureau.

The Xiamen-Jinmen shipping line, which links the mainland and Taiwan, has been suspended since Monday afternoon, and Jinjiang Airport has canceled six flights.

Quanzhou municipal authorities have organized more than 41,000 people into rescue teams to prepare for potential emergencies.

In Xiaquan village in neighboring Zhejiang Province, 28 kindergarten kids and teachers were besieged as their school was flooded after torrential rain hit the area Tuesday morning.

Six rescuers carried the children and their teachers on their backs through the waist-deep water to safety, said rescuers with the county's fire-fighting brigade.

Some villagers called for help as they stood on their roofs. After rescuing them, the rescuers then checked door-to-door to ensure no one remained in the flooded houses, rescuers said.

Rescuer Li Zhengfeng said that on Tuesday, their brigade got 38 calls for help and brought more than 50 people to safety.

Nanmadol will bring high tide levels with heavy rainfall of 200 mm to 350 mm, which might lead to flooding and secondary disasters, according to a report released by the meteorological bureau.