SHENZHEN: The Chinese city of Shenzhen is gearing up to evacuate 400,000 people as Super Typhoon Ragasa barrels toward southern China after making landfall in the Philippines. The powerful storm, which struck the northern part of the Philippines, has prompted emergency actions across both countries.
Super Typhoon Ragasa made landfall on the Philippines’ Calayan Island, part of the Babuyan chain, at 3 p.m. local time, with maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching up to 295 kph, according to the Philippine weather service. The storm’s violent winds have already affected the northern regions, including the coastal town of Aparri, where residents reported hearing windows rattling from the gale-force winds.
In response to the typhoon, more than 10,000 Filipinos have been evacuated from high-risk areas, with schools and government offices closed in the Manila region and 29 other provinces. The Cagayan province disaster management team has stated they are fully prepared for the worst.
Meanwhile, across the border in China, Shenzhen is preparing for mass evacuations, particularly from coastal and low-lying areas, where authorities are concerned about potential flooding and damage. Public transportation has been suspended, and classes and work have been canceled in several cities in Guangdong province. The financial hub of Hong Kong is also bracing for disruption, with Cathay Pacific announcing that it will cancel more than 500 flights in anticipation of the storm’s impact.
Taiwan has also been affected, with the eastern part of the island facing extreme rainfall and potential flooding. The typhoon’s wide-ranging storm radius has already brought strong winds and heavy rains to the region, prompting evacuations in mountainous areas near Pingtung.
As Typhoon Ragasa continues its destructive path, experts have warned that the frequency and intensity of such storms are increasing due to climate change, which is contributing to the severity of natural disasters in the region. The Philippines, which faces around 20 storms every year, remains highly vulnerable to these catastrophic weather events, often exacerbating the nation’s struggles with poverty and disaster preparedness.
