Typhoon Ragasa slams into Hong Kong after killing at least 17 in Taiwan and the Philippines
HONG KONG — Streets in southern China were deserted Wednesday as Typhoon Ragasa, one of the world’s strongest storms this year, slammed into the region after having carved a deadly path between the Philippines and Taiwan.
At least 14 people were confirmed dead in Taiwan after floodwaters from a barrier lake surged into Guangfu township in Hualien County, Taiwanese media reported early Wednesday, citing officials.
At least three deaths were reported a day earlier in the Philippines, where the storm also displaced thousands of people in the north of the country.
Schools and flights were canceled in the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau, where fierce winds woke residents during the night, and many businesses were closed.
Residents have been stockpiling food and other supplies, while businesses have taped their windows and lined sandbags along entryways.
Callan Williamson, 36, who moved to Hong Kong five years ago and works as a brand manager at a consulting firm, said Ragasa was the first major typhoon he had experienced.
“I have had water coming through the kitchen window,” he said.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued storm warning signal No. 10, the highest in its weather alert system, at 2:40 a.m. local time (2:40 p.m. ET Tuesday), an hour after it issued its second-highest warning signal, No. 9. Maximum sustained winds as high as 120 mph were recorded.
Ragasa, which means “scramble” in Tagalog, has brought heavy showers and major storm surge to the international financial hub, and members of the public were advised to stay away from the shoreline and low-lying areas. By late morning, the storm was leaving Hong Kong, a city of 7.5 million, though hurricane-force winds persisted.
Hong Kong government officials said almost 800 people had sought refuge at dozens of temporary shelters. As of 11 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET Tuesday), there were 56 reported injuries, 350 reports of fallen trees, one reported landslide and 12 reports of flooding.
The observatory said that at 10 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET Tuesday), the storm was centered about 85 miles southwest of Hong Kong. It was forecast to continue moving west or west-northwest at about 14 mph as it approaches the west coast of China’s Guangdong province, which is the country’s most populous, at more than 125 million people.
Officials had said Ragasa could cause even more damage than Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in direct economic losses to the region.
