Super Typhoon Ragasa Forces Mass Evacuations Across Southern China

China has evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and ordered schools and businesses closed in at least 10 cities as Super Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest storm of the year, approaches its southern coast, BBC reported. 

Authorities in Guangdong province confirmed that nearly 370,000 people have already been relocated ahead of the storm, which is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. China’s meteorological agency has dubbed Ragasa the “King of Storms,” warning of a potentially “catastrophic” impact.

In Hong Kong, officials raised the typhoon alert to signal No. 8, the city’s third-highest warning level. Supermarket shelves were emptied of essentials like bread, vegetables, meat, and instant noodles as residents prepared to stay indoors. Hong Kong International Airport has warned of severe flight disruption, with more than 500 Cathay Pacific flights cancelled and Hong Kong Airlines suspending all departures.

Shopkeepers in low-lying coastal areas have stacked sandbags to guard against tidal surges, while many residents have taped windows and reinforced homes in anticipation of strong winds and flooding.

Ragasa, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, has already left a trail of destruction across the region. In the Philippines, the storm killed at least one person, forced over 10,000 people to evacuate, and shut down schools and government offices, including in Manila. Taiwan largely avoided major damage, though at least six people were injured and over 100 flights were cancelled.

Packing gusts of up to 285 km/h (177 mph), Ragasa is now tracking toward northern Vietnam after striking southern China. Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan warned the storm could be as destructive as past super typhoons, Mangkhut in 2018, which caused $592 million in damage, and Hato in 2017, which triggered severe flooding.