Super typhoon hits Philippines sparking evacuations and airport shutdowns

East Asia is bracing for the most powerful global typhoon so far this year to make landfall with mass evacuations across multiple countries.

The Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Vietnam could all be affected by Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is currently moving over the Balintang Channel in the northern Philippines with winds of over 168mph.

The Category 5 super typhoon – the highest ranking on the Saffir-Simpson scale, used to measure storms – is travelling west towards Hong Kong, Macau and southern China. It is expected to remain in the South China Sea until at least Wednesday.

The Chinese city of Shenzhen has evacuated 400,000 people from its coastal and low-lying regions, while offices, schools and public transport have been shut down.

In the Philippines, more than 8,200 people have been evacuated to safety in Cagayan as 1,220 fled to emergency shelters in Apayao after the power was knocked out.

Hong Kong international airport will suspend all passenger flights for 36 hours from Tuesday evening, according to Qantas Airways. However, Airport Authority Hong Kong has yet to make any official announcement.

Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong-based airline, said that it expected to cancel more than 500 flights.

Taiwan, which will also be caught in the typhoon’s path, has cancelled domestic flights to its outlying islands and suspended 88 ferry services on 13 routes.

Domestic flights and ferries in the Philippines’ northern provinces were also cancelled.

The Philippines’ weather agency said that “there is a high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights exceeding 3m (nearly 10 feet) within the next 24 hours”, especially in the northern provinces of Cagayan, Batanes, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Calayan Island, in the Balintang Channel, and the province of Apayao in the north of Luzon island, have both lost power, but there have been no reports of casualties, officials from the Philippines’ disaster response said.

On Monday, school and work were suspended in Manila as well as in 29 provinces in Luzon. Flood warnings have also been issued for low-lying areas on the island.

Residents of the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and China are no strangers to mega storms – there have been more than a dozen storms to hit the region this year – but Super Typhoon Ragasa is poised to be the worst one in years.

The last storm with winds as strong and a radius as wide to strike Taiwan was Typhoon Hinnamnor in 2022. While the island reported no casualties, at least 10 were killed in South Korea.

In the Philippines, Typhoon Rai in 2021, with wind speeds that reached more than 174mph, was one of the strongest and most destructive, killing more than 400 people.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]