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Hong Kong shut down this past week as Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world's strongest tropical cyclone this year, swept across southern China. Authorities suspended most flights, closed schools and businesses, and urged people to remain indoors. Panic buying left supermarket shelves empty, while Guangdong province evacuated more than 770,000 residents and prepared to relocate over one million. With hurricane-force winds, torrential rainfall and storm surges forecast, the Hong Kong Observatory warned of conditions similar to previous devastating typhoons Hato and Mangkhut.
Hong Kong closed down this past week as Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world's most powerful tropical cyclone this year, approached southern China. The authorities urged residents to remain indoors while nearly all passenger flights were suspended until later in the week. Shops experienced panic buying, leaving shelves bare, as people stocked up on essentials in anticipation of extended closures. Advertisement
Residents taped windows across homes and businesses in the hope of reducing damage from shattered glass. The Hong Kong Observatory described Ragasa, with winds reaching 220 km/h, as posing a severe threat to the Guangdong coast. It warned that the storm would retain its intensity as it moved closer to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, after crossing the northern Philippines.
More than 770,000 people in Guangdong were evacuated, with state media reporting that over one million would be relocated across the province. The typhoon signal 8, Hong Kong's third-highest alert, was raised in the afternoon, prompting widespread closures of businesses and transport. Over 700 flights were disrupted, including those in Macau and Taiwan.
The observatory cautioned that weather conditions would worsen further, with hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall likely to trigger severe flooding and sea surges. Water levels along Hong Kong's coast were forecast to rise by up to two metres, with some areas facing maximum levels of up to five metres. Authorities distributed sandbags in low-lying districts while residents reinforced their homes and stockpiled supplies.
Although most of the city came to a standstill, some businesses adapted. A bar on Lantau Island offered discounted drinks to customers during the T8 signal, while the Hong Kong Stock Exchange continued trading under a revised policy.
Ragasa reached peak intensity earlier in the week, with winds near its centre exceeding 260 km/h, classifying it as a Category 5 storm. It later weakened slightly to Category 4 but continued to pose significant risks across southern China. Flood control measures were activated in several provinces, and more than 11 cities in Guangdong, including Shenzhen and Zhuhai, suspended work, schools and transport services.
Shenzhen prepared more than 800 emergency shelters, and teams in Nanshan district were seen cutting tree branches to prevent damage. Macau, the global gambling hub, ordered all casinos to close by late afternoon once its typhoon signal was raised to 8. Meanwhile, Taiwan endured nearly 60 cm of rainfall in mountainous regions, leaving 25 people injured and hundreds of flights cancelled.
Mass evacuations, widespread closures and major flight disruptions reflected the scale of the storm's threat. Authorities drew parallels with earlier destructive typhoons, warning of potentially severe flooding and storm surges. Despite slight weakening, Ragasa remained one of the year's strongest storms, underlining the vulnerability of coastal cities in the region to extreme weather events.
Source - Reuters
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