Super Typhoon Ragasa battered the northern Philippines on Monday before turning toward southern China, prompting mass evacuations and widespread shutdowns across the region. Authorities in Shenzhen said they were preparing to move 400,000 people from coastal and low-lying areas, while Philippine officials evacuated more than 10,000 residents as gale-force winds and torrential rains swept across Luzon.
The Philippine weather service reported that Ragasa made landfall on Calayan Island in the Babuyan chain at 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT). The storm packed maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 295 kph, making it one of the strongest storms to hit the region in years. Residents described terrifying conditions as winds shook homes and shattered windows. “I woke up because of the strong wind… it sounded like a machine switched on,” said Tirso Tugagao, a resident of Aparri in Cagayan province.
Local disaster chief Rueli Rapsing said teams were bracing for “the worst” as authorities suspended schools and closed government offices across 30 provinces, including the Manila region. Flooding and landslides are expected across northern Luzon, according to government meteorologists, who warned of “severe flooding and landslides” in mountainous terrain.
In China, officials in Guangdong province announced the suspension of classes, work, and public transport in several cities as Ragasa approached. Shenzhen, a key economic hub bordering Hong Kong, was preparing one of the largest evacuation operations in recent years. Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific said it would cancel more than 500 flights, halting all passenger services at Hong Kong International Airport from Tuesday evening until Thursday daytime.
Taiwan also braced for the storm’s impact. The Central Weather Bureau warned of “extremely torrential rain” in the east, noting that Ragasa’s storm radius measured 320 kilometres, with its outer bands already lashing the island. Fire officials in Pingtung confirmed evacuations were underway in vulnerable mountain areas, drawing parallels to Typhoon Koinu two years ago, which caused widespread destruction.
The arrival of Ragasa in the Philippines coincided with mounting anger over corruption scandals tied to poorly built or incomplete flood control projects. Protesters across Manila warned that substandard infrastructure has left communities even more vulnerable to disasters. The Philippines, located along the Pacific cyclone belt, faces an average of 20 storms annually, a cycle of devastation that scientists say is intensifying due to climate change.
With the storm threatening lives and infrastructure across multiple countries, officials warned that the next 48 hours would be critical for both the Philippines and China, as millions of people brace for severe winds, floods, and potential humanitarian fallout.
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