Schools Shut, Flights Cancelled As Typhoon Ragasa Heads To Hong Kong, China

Super Typhoon Ragasa Approaches Hong Kong and Southern China with Devastating Force

Super Typhoon Ragasa has already claimed at least two lives while tearing through northern Philippines, causing significant destruction.

Hong Kong and southern China regions were placed under severe alert early Wednesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached, bringing powerful winds and torrential rainfall that prompted Chinese authorities to close educational institutions and businesses across at least 10 cities.

Prior to reaching China, Ragasa had devastated parts of the northern Philippines, uprooting trees, destroying building roofs, and causing at least two fatalities. Thousands of residents sought refuge in schools and emergency evacuation centers.

According to Hong Kong's meteorological service, the super typhoon was generating sustained winds reaching 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour near its center while moving westward across the South China Sea.

The Hong Kong Observatory issued its highest typhoon warning level, T10, at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Tuesday), indicating that the warning would "remain in force for some time" as Ragasa approaches closest to the financial hub later in the morning.

Officials also cautioned about significant ocean swells and storm surge, with predictions that some coastal areas could experience water levels four to five meters above normal conditions.

An AFP journalist observed waves nearly five meters high crashing against the seaside promenade in Hong Kong's Heng Fa Chuen residential area around sunset.

Local resident Terence Choi reported stocking two days' worth of provisions at home, expressing concern about potential power outages and fresh water supply disruptions in the housing estate.

Yang Lee-o, a 40-year resident of the coastal Lei Yue Mun neighborhood, mentioned that government workers had spent a day placing protective sandbags.

"Lei Yue Mun experiences the most severe impacts during typhoons or rainstorms," said the 71-year-old, recalling that floodwaters had reached thigh-level during a previous super typhoon.

Hong Kong's deputy official, Eric Chan, had previously warned that Ragasa posed a "serious threat" comparable to the devastating super typhoons of 2017 and 2018, which resulted in hundreds of millions in property damage.

Climate scientists continue to warn that storms are intensifying as global temperatures rise due to human-induced climate change.

- Southern China's Emergency Response -

Ragasa - named after the Filipino term for rapid movement - is forecast to make landfall in the central and western coastal regions of Guangdong province within 24 hours, according to provincial emergency management officials on Tuesday morning.

In the southern city of Zhuhai, local business owners were preparing storefronts for the approaching storm along a commercial street opposite the main railway station on Tuesday afternoon.

Among them was 28-year-old Hong Wei, who spoke with AFP while applying long strips of tape across glass windows of a shop.

"This typhoon is quite powerful," Hong explained. "We're placing safety tape on the glass to prevent it from shattering into numerous fragments that could become dangerous projectiles."

"We're taking all possible precautions to prevent safety hazards... I'm quite concerned."

Nearby, tea shop employees were moving outdoor furniture inside, while other establishments had closed early in anticipation of the storm.

However, many residents in this typhoon-prone region informed AFP that they weren't overly worried about the forecasts, with a 20-year-old Zhuhai resident surnamed Huang stating he was "used to it."

Huang mentioned he would still take precautionary measures: "I'll apply tape to my windows and stock essential supplies. That's very important."

Authorities in Shenzhen had earlier ordered the evacuation of 400,000 people.

Emergency management officials in the Chinese technology hub advised that except for emergency response personnel and essential service workers, citizens should "not go out unnecessarily."

Other Guangdong province cities implementing protective measures include Chaozhou, Zhuhai, Dongguan, and Foshan.

In Hong Kong, classes were suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday, though the stock exchange operated under new regulations implemented this year to maintain market operations during typhoons.

According to the airport's website, no flights were departing from Hong Kong after 1000 GMT. Cathay Pacific had earlier announced the cancellation of more than 500 flights.