Super Typhoon Ragasa barrels toward southern China with maximum sustained winds of 143 mph, forcing widespread shutdowns across major cities. The storm has already killed at least three people and displaced over 17,500 in the Philippines.
The typhoon is forecast to make landfall in Guangdong province on Wednesday between Shenzhen and Xuwen county. Schools have closed across Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzhen and multiple cities in Guangdong and Hainan provinces as the region braces for one of the strongest typhoons in years.
Massive Disruption Operations
Hundreds of flights were cancelled in Hong Kong, while Shenzhen airport will halt all operations from Tuesday night. Hong Kong's observatory will issue storm warning signal No. 8 on Tuesday afternoon, the third-highest alert in the city's weather system.
Water levels could rise up to 2 metres over coastal areas in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, with some areas potentially seeing storm surges of 4 to 5 metres above typical sea level. The government warns that economic losses could mirror those from Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, which caused damages worth $154 million and $590 million respectively.
Residents in flood-prone areas have already positioned sandbags and barriers, while many stockpiled food and supplies as market vendors report goods selling out rapidly. The Macao government activated its emergency response mechanism as Ragasa is expected to pass within 62 miles south of the casino hub on Wednesday morning.
Philippines Devastation
The storm killed a 74-year-old man in Benguet province who died after being pinned in a vehicle buried by mud, rocks and trees that cascaded down a mountainside. Two other villagers died, including one resident in Calayan town where the super typhoon first made landfall on Monday.
Ragasa prompted the Philippine government to close schools and offices across the densely populated capital region and 29 northern provinces. Fishing boats and ferries were banned from rough seas as the storm brought flooding and landslides to the Southeast Asian archipelago.
The typhoon represents the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, with the disaster-response agency coordinating relief efforts across affected regions. Domestic flights were cancelled and transportation networks severely disrupted throughout the northern provinces.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
