The huge, powerful typhoon is heading towards southern China after slamming the Philippines with destructive winds and heavy rain, and the area’s enormousness is high in caution with cancelled flights and disruptions to schools and businesses.
Tens of millions of people could be affected by the storm. It is expected to pass south of major cities in Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Guangzhou before landing again in Guangdong Province, mainland China.
Typhoon Ragatha struck the Northern Philippines this year as the strongest storm on the planet so far after generating sustained winds exceeding 267 kph (165 mph), the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.
The enormous size of the system passing through the South China Sea was captured from space by Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui on the International Space Station.
Ragatha, known in the Philippines as Nando, landed as a Super Timun on Panzan Island in northern Cagayan province on Monday, damaging homes, blocking roads and causing landslides.
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, Ragatha has since weakened slightly and is no longer a Super Timun. However, the storm remains a powerful typhoon with sustained winds of 140 mph (222 kph), equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
Chinese authorities are energizing emergency response. The massive massive mass of Guangdong, one of the most populous regions in the world, stopped ahead of the storm, schools closed, some businesses closed, and public transport stopped.
Guangzhou, a city of 18.6 million, is expected to issue the highest red alert later Tuesday, but Shenzhen has around 17.5 million residents, with labor and businesses shut down and staff preparing to move 400,000 people from lowland and coastal areas.
The Hong Kong Observatory warned of the risk of “superficial” marine expansion and storm surges up to 4 metres in some areas on Wednesday.
The supermarket shelves were emptied in Hong Kong as residents stockpiled supplies during preparations, and the video showed a similar scene in the southern Chinese cities of Zhuhai and Shenzhen.
Cancellations in Taiwan, Hong Kong and southern China have destroyed hundreds of flights across the region. Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific said it will stop passenger flights scheduled to arrive in the city until Thursday morning on Tuesday evening. Another regional airline, Hong Kong Airlines, also suspended dozens of flights that week.
Megabridge, which connects Chinese cities in Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai, will also be closed from Tuesday.
A video posted on social media by Taiwanese residents showed enormous swells, raging and winds as bands outside Lagatha hit the island.
Landslides, floods in the Philippines
The extent of the damage to the Babuyan Islands is not yet clear. The Philippine Meteorological Agency (Pagasa) had warned about the “life-threatening” situation on the island as dangerous winds in Lagasa caused flooding and landslides.
Images of Kagayan Hard Hit Karajan Island, posted by the National Philippine Intelligence Agency (PIA), showed roofs torn from the house, damaged houses, fallen trees and roofs where boats were washed.
According to the PIA, search and rescue teams were searching for six fishermen after a massive wave overturned the boat off the coast of Northeast Luzon on Tuesday morning. Six of the seafarers have already been found.
A landslide in Benguet, Luzon, killed one person and injured another, according to the Tuba Public Relations Bureau. A video post posted by the Philippine Coast Guard in northern Luzon shows the team rescued their families from strong winds and torrential rains, and excavators clearing debris from muddy roads.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Council said in a statement Tuesday that more than 24,000 people had evacuated across the northern and central Luzon Rivers.
A video from Camiguin Island posted by the Philippine Ministry of Home Affairs and the local government showed strong winds and seawater whipping homes on the streets of the house. Further north, footage taken by residents showed fierce gusts of winds dumping tall trees in Batanes.
As Ragatha outer bands continue to ravade the country and there is further risk in Luzon Dzong, heavy rain advisories remain in most of the northern Philippines.
According to the JTWC, Ragatha is expected to continue its slow and debilitating trend as it approaches Hong Kong and southern China on Tuesday and Wednesday, as it is probably equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of nearly 115 mph (185 kph).
The storm continues to move to the west and northwest, eventually landing in the western part of Guangdong on a local Wednesday evening.
