Super Typhoon Ragasa hit the southern part of China this morning, forcing widespread closures of schools, businesses, and transportation services in at least 10 major cities, including the major tech hub Shenzhen.
Authorities issued urgent warnings, advising residents to remain indoors unless part of emergency response teams. In flood-prone areas of Shenzhen, nearly 400,000 people were scheduled for evacuation as a precaution.
The city’s main airport also announced a full suspension of operations. The powerful typhoon, with sustained winds exceeding 215 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching up to 295 kilometres per hour, had already caused significant disruption across the Philippines and Taiwan yesterday.
There is no confirmed report of any casualty, but emergency response teams across the region remain on high alert as the storm continues its path.
The super typhoon that caused thousands of people to evacuate from northern Philippine villages and left at least three people dead is now making its way towards Hong Kong, the southern parts of mainland China, and Taiwan, where people are preparing for more extreme weather.
In Hong Kong, officials warned of a “serious threat” from Super Typhoon Ragasa, comparing the risk with some of the most destructive storms in the city’s recent history.
“Ragasa will pose a serious threat to Hong Kong, which could reach the levels of Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018,” Hong Kong’s number-two official Eric Chan said on Monday, referring to two super typhoons that each caused significant damage.
