Deadly cyclone makes landfall in China after devastating Hong Kong, Taiwan and Philippines

Taiwan (RNI) After killing 15 people in Taiwan and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains, Typhoon Ragasa made landfall in the southern Chinese city of Yangjiang in the Guangdong province, China’s National Meteorological Centre reported on Wednesday.

In Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county, 17 people remained missing after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town, the fire department said on Wednesday. Ragasa’s outer rim has drenched the island since Monday.

Many residents in the tourist town of Guangfu complained there was insufficient warning from authorities, usually used to moving people out of potential danger zones swiftly as the island is frequently hit by typhoons.

As rains inundated Taiwan, Hong Kong grappled with huge waves that crashed over areas of the Asian financial hub’s eastern and southern shoreline. The water rushed along pavements and submerged some roads and residential properties.

Typhoon Ragasa formed over the western Pacific last week. Fuelled by warm seas and favourable atmospheric conditions, the tropical cyclone rapidly intensified to become a Category 5 super typhoon on Monday with winds exceeding 260kph (162mph).
It has since weakened, but was still powerful enough to bring down trees and power lines.

“Authorities have taken lessons from [typhoons] Hato and Mangkhut, which both caused billions of dollars in damage in 2017 and 2018,” said Chim Lee, a senior energy and climate change specialist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“The Pearl River Delta is one of the best-prepared regions for typhoons, so we’re not expecting major disruptions. One change this year is that the Hong Kong stock market has stayed open during typhoons - a sign of how resilient the infrastructure has become,” he said.

That said, Zijin Gold International delayed its $3.2bn IPO in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Hong Kong will lower its typhoon signal to three from eight after 12.20pm GMT (1.30pm BST) on Wednesday, the city’s weather forecast agency said.

The hospital authority said at least 90 people had been injured by the typhoon, while the government had opened 50 temporary shelters, within which 885 sought refuge.

In the gambling hub of Macau, next to Hong Kong, casinos were forced to shutter their gambling areas. One user on China’s Xiaohongshu app showed videos of doors being sealed at a casino resort for protection against gales and debris.

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