EVACUATE NOW !!!

MONSTEROUS STORM IN WEST PACIFIC POUNDS PHILIPPINES HARD

Super Typhoon Ragasa targets East Asia, Hong Kong, Southern China expecting the worst

AI
September 23, 2025

HONG KONG — Super Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest storm of 2025, has devastated northern Philippines with deadly winds and flooding before advancing toward southern China, triggering mass evacuations and emergency shutdowns in the region.

Ragasa made landfall on Panuitan Island in the northern Philippine province of Cagayan as a Category 5-equivalent storm, with sustained winds exceeding 267 kph (165 mph). The powerful storm — known locally as Nando —caused at least three deaths and displaced more than 17,500 people amid widespread flooding and landslides.

Herbert Singun, an information officer from Calayan Island, said, “You see coconut trees swaying in the distance? There were eight of them before. Now only four remain.

That illustrates the strength of this typhoon.” Thousands were evacuated from vulnerable coastal and mountainous areas as authorities suspended classes and work across Metro Manila and 29 northern provinces.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a full disaster alert and mobilized response agencies, emphasizing the urgency: “Homes can be rebuilt, but lives lost can never be replaced.”

Residents recounted the harrowing experience. One evacuee said, “We’ve never seen a storm this strong before. The rains and winds knocked down everything. We are scared but trying to stay safe in the evacuation center.”

After weakening slightly to a Category 4-equivalent storm, Ragasa continues to pose a grave threat to southern China. Authorities in Guangdong Province, home to tens of millions, have ordered evacuation of roughly 400,000 residents in flood-prone areas near Shenzhen.

The local airport suspended operations, and schools and many businesses closed as preparations intensified. The Hong Kong Observatory raised its storm warning signals, forecasting hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall threatening the financial hub.

Eric Chan, Hong Kong's second-highest official, warned, “Ragasa will be a serious threat to Hong Kong, comparable to past devastating storms like Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018.”

The typhoon is expected to move across the northern South China Sea, impacting major urban centers including Hong Kong and Macau before making landfall along the Guangdong coast. Surge warnings predict water levels along coastal areas could rise by 2 to 5 meters above usual low tide, increasing flood risks.

Meteorologists attribute Ragasa's ferocity to unusually warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear, conditions that allowed the storm to intensify rapidly. Its slow movement could prolong heavy rains, risking extended flooding in southern China and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Laos in coming days.

As emergency crews work to restore power and assist displaced communities, the human and economic toll from this super typhoon continues to grow, highlighting the vulnerability of the region to increasingly intense weather events