Hong Kong Battered As Super Typhoon Ragasa Strikes Southern China

Super Typhoon Ragasa is shaping up to be one of the most powerful storms of the year after pummeling the Philippines, Taiwan, and now southern China.

Ragasa began as a tropical depression in the western Pacific, steadily moving westward towards the Philippines. Just days later, the storm passed the northernmost Philippine island of Luzon on Monday, packing winds of over 160 mph and heavy rain. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival, which led to landslides and flooding across the northern part of the archipelago, and at least three people were killed.

Then, the storm moved further west, impacting Taiwan. While the typhoon did not directly hit the island, its outer bands were strong enough to spark life-threatening flooding in south and eastern Taiwan. In Hualien County, to the east, the rain caused a barrier lake to overflow, with the ensuing inundation leading to the flooding of the entire town of Guangfu. Additionally, a bridge collapsed due to the floodwaters. At least 8,000 people were evacuated across Taiwan, and at least 14 people were killed in the disaster– most of the deaths were due to the barrier lake burst.

Yesterday, Super Typhoon Ragasa arrived in southern China, passing Hong Kong with winds of over 130 mph before making landfall to the west of Macau. Ahead of the storm, both Hong Kong and Macau issued a T10, their highest storm warning, and over two million people were evacuated as Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai shut down in preparation. Trees have been blown down, windows shattered, basements flooded, and a total of 62 people have been injured due to the dangerous conditions.

The aftermath of the storm is just starting to emerge, but the typhoon has continued onward. It made landfall last night near the city of Yangjiang, just after weakening from a super to a severe typhoon. It is expected to weaken in the coming days, but the wind and rain could persist for some time.

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Image credit to South China Morning Post