In brief
Super Typhoon Ragasa is barreling toward southern China, leading to mass evacuations and school closures in at least ten cities in Guangdong province. The storm, dubbed the 'King of Storms', is anticipated to make landfall soon, prompting urgent preparations across the region to mitigate potential flooding, landslides, and massive flight cancellations across Hong Kong.
China has evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and ordered at least 10 cities to close schools and some businesses as the strongest storm of the year bears down on its southern coast. Hong Kong has upgraded its typhoon warning to eight - just two levels below the maximum - ahead of the arrival of Super Typhoon Ragasa. The storm is expected to make landfall in China's Guangdong province on Wednesday, where some 370,000 people have been evacuated so far, as authorities warn of a 'catastrophic' situation. Ragasa has been dubbed the 'King of Storms' by China's meteorological agency and is expected to move towards northern Vietnam in the coming days, potentially affecting millions. On Tuesday, supermarket shelves in Hong Kong were wiped empty of fresh bread, vegetables, meat and instant noodles as residents prepared to hunker down. More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled, prompting significant disruption to travel plans. Meanwhile, shop owners across the region are preparing for tidal surges by piling sandbags in front of their stores. With warnings of floods, storm surges, and landslides, Super Typhoon Ragasa is projected to impact millions with its gusts reaching up to 285 km/h (177 mph).
