Hong Kong – Hong Kong shut down on Tuesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, bore down on the city. Authorities urged residents to stay indoors, with schools and businesses closed and most passenger flights suspended until Thursday as the massive storm approached.
Scenes of panic buying played out across the city, with supermarkets quickly emptied as people stocked up on food, water, and other necessities in anticipation of being cut off for days. In neighborhoods across Hong Kong, windows in apartments, offices, and shops were covered with tape, a measure residents hoped would help minimize the dangers of flying glass if strong winds shattered panes.
RELATED NEWS : 1 dead, 1 injured as heavy rain, winds lash Tokyo area
Ragasa is currently packing sustained winds of around 220 kilometers per hour, equivalent to 137 miles per hour, and the Hong Kong Observatory described it as posing a severe threat to the coast of Guangdong, the southern Chinese province that borders the city. The storm, which swept through the northern Philippines on Monday, is expected to maintain its super typhoon strength as it edges closer to Guangdong, threatening Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan.
Chinese state media reported that Guangdong province had already evacuated more than 370,000 people in preparation. The country’s National Meteorological Center forecast landfall along Guangdong’s southern coast between midday and late Wednesday, likely between the cities of Zhuhai and Zhanjiang.
In Hong Kong, the typhoon signal number 8 was raised at 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday, one of the highest levels in the city’s warning system, which requires schools, offices, factories, and most public transport services to suspend operations. More than 700 flights were canceled or delayed, affecting not only Hong Kong but also Macau and Taiwan.
Weather forecasters warned that conditions would deteriorate rapidly overnight, with hurricane-force winds expected to hit offshore areas and high ground by Wednesday. Heavy rainfall, storm surges, and flooding are likely, with sea levels projected to rise by as much as two meters in some coastal areas. The maximum surge could reach between four and five meters, raising fears of damage on a scale not seen since Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, which caused billions of dollars in losses in the city.
The Hong Kong Observatory said it would reassess conditions between late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning to determine whether to raise the warning further. The next stage, signal number 9, would indicate significantly strengthening gale-force winds, while the highest, signal number 10, would mean sustained hurricane-force winds exceeding 118 kilometers per hour with gusts over 220 kilometers per hour.
Across southern China, schools were ordered closed, factories suspended work, and ferry and rail services were halted as Ragasa advanced. In Hong Kong, streets were eerily quiet by late afternoon, with only emergency vehicles and last-minute shoppers venturing outside. The normally bustling financial hub had effectively shut its doors, bracing for what forecasters warn could be one of the most destructive storms in years.
SOURCE : AGENCIES | Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |
