Southern Chinese cities and Hong Kong yesterday shut schools and canceled flights as the region braced for one of the strongest typhoons in years that has already killed three people and led to the displacement of thousands of others in the Philippines.
Residents living in flood-prone areas put sandbags and barriers at their doors, while others taped windows and glass doors to brace for strong winds. Many people stockpiled food and other supplies on Monday, and some market vendors reported their goods were selling out fast.
Some Hong Kongers gathered on a promenade to watch waves as high as 2m to 3m splash onto the pedestrian area before the weather worsens.
Photo: Reuters
The Hong Kong Observatory said Super Typhoon Ragasa, which was packing maximum sustained winds near the center of about 220kph, is expected to move west-northwest at about 22kph across the northern part of the South China Sea and edge closer to the coast of Guangdong Province.
China’s National Meteorological Center forecast the typhoon would make landfall in the coastal area between Zhuhai and Zhanjiang cities in Guangdong today between midday and evening.
The observatory yesterday afternoon issued storm warning signal No. 8, the third-highest in the territory’s weather alert system. It recorded wind speeds of 135kph near the ground at a distance of about 120km from the typhoon’s center, indicating a wide coverage of hurricane force.
Photo: Bloomberg
The water level is forecast to rise about 2m over coastal areas in Hong Kong this morning, and the maximum water level in some areas could hit 4m to 5m above the typical lowest sea level.
The government said the water levels could be similar to those recorded during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018 — estimated to have caused the territory direct economic losses of more than HK$1 billion (US$128.64 million at the current exchange rate) and HK$4.6 billion respectively.
In the Philippines, Ragasa left at least three people dead and five others missing and displaced more than 17,500 people in flooding and landslides set off by the most powerful storm to hit the Southeast Asian archipelago this year, the country’s disaster-response agency and provincial officials said.
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