Super Typhoon Ragasa Unleashes Devastation Across Asia, Millions Evacuated as China Braces for Direct Hit
Super Typhoon Ragasa Unleashes Devastation Across Asia, Millions Evacuated as China Braces for Direct Hit
Super Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest storm of the year, continues its destructive path across Asia, leaving a trail of significant damage and prompting massive emergency responses. After making landfall in the northern Philippines on Monday with sustained winds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, the deadly storm has already been linked to at least 15 fatalities in Taiwan.
In the Philippines, Ragasa, known locally as Nando, triggered widespread evacuations of over 10,000 people across northern and central Luzon. The storm’s fierce winds and torrential rains led to power outages, halted government work and classes in Metro Manila and 29 provinces, and spurred warnings of severe flooding and landslides. Coastal areas faced threats of huge waves, with authorities issuing the highest tropical cyclone wind signal for the northern Babuyan Islands.
As of Wednesday, the typhoon is barreling towards major population centers, with Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China’s Guangdong Province on high alert. Chinese officials are preparing to relocate 400,000 residents from low-lying areas in Shenzhen, while train services are being suspended across Guangdong. Taiwan has issued land and sea warnings, with some ferry services and nature trails closed.
Hong Kong is bracing for Ragasa’s approach early Wednesday, with maximum winds forecast at over 200 kph. The financial hub has initiated extensive preparations, including closing schools on Tuesday and Wednesday, suspending hundreds of flights with Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines, and halting operations on the mega bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai. Emergency services are on full standby, and residents have been urged to stock up on supplies.
Experts note that the rapid intensification of Super Typhoon Ragasa highlights the increasing unpredictability and extreme nature of storms, exacerbated by the human-caused climate crisis and record-high ocean temperatures, making densely populated coastlines even more vulnerable to such powerful events.
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