Super typhoon heads to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China after lashing Philippines

A super typhoon has made its way to Taiwan, the southern regions of mainland China, and Hong Kong, where people are getting ready for more extreme weather. It forced thousands of people to leave their homes in northern Philippine villages.

Officials in Hong Kong issued a “serious threat” from Super Typhoon Ragasa, citing the risk as being comparable to some of the city’s most recent storms.

According to Hong Kong’s number two official Eric Chan, who referenced two super typhoons that each caused significant damage, “Ragasa will pose a serious threat to Hong Kong, which could reach the levels of Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018”.

As it churned across the South China Sea early on Tuesday, Ragasa’s center, according to Hong Kong’s weather service, had winds churning at a top sustained speed of 220 kilometres per hour (137 mph) at its peak.

The airport authority stated that there will be “significant disruption to flight operations” from 6 p.m. (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday through the following day.

More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are anticipated to be canceled.

The state weather service in Taiwan forecast “extremely torrential rain” in the east.

Its storm radius is roughly 320 kilometers, or 199 miles. Although Taiwan’s center is still a short distance away, it said, “Taiwan already suffers from a wide, powerful wind field and external circulation,” according to the statement.

About 400, 000 people were to be evacuated from Shenzhen, the southern Chinese tech hub, including those who reside in flood-prone and low-lying areas. Beginning on Tuesday night, Shanghai’s airport announced that flights would be halted.

The coastal region between Shenzhen city and Xuwen county in Guangdong province was predicted by the Chinese National Meteorological Centre on Wednesday.

protests against Philippines’ lack of flood control

On Monday, thousands of people took to the streets to protest alleged corruption over non-existent flood control projects. Ragasa, also known as Nando, forced the evacuation of several villages in northern Philippines.

On Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended government work and all classes in Manila and 29 provinces in the main northern Luzon region.

Disaster-response officials said the super typhoon caused wind gusts of up to 295 kph (183 mph) in some areas, which caused power to be lost on Calayan Island and the entire northern mountain province of Apayao.

According to the Associated Press news agency, there are no immediate reports of casualties or additional damage.

In Cagayan province, which includes Calayan, more than 8,200 people were forced to flee to safety, and Apayao, where flash floods and landslides frequently occur, was where 1,220 people were taken.

Due to the typhoon’s impact on northern provinces, domestic flights were suspended, and inter-island ferries and fishing boats were unable to leave ports.

Information officer Herbert Singun told the AFP news agency on Calayan Island that one minor injury was caused by a piece of a school roof falling onto an evacuation center about 30 meters (98 feet) away at the center of the storm.

Do you see the swaying coconut trees in the distance? During a video chat, he asked. “There were eight of them before. Only four remain standing at this point. That demonstrates how powerful this typhoon is.

According to scientists, climate change is already causing stronger winds and more flooding as a result of stronger winds and stronger winds.

Ragasa, the 14th weather event to hit the Philippines this year, comes as the government and both chambers of Congress are looking into a corruption scandal involving alleged kickbacks that led to subpar or nonexistent flood control projects.