Ragasa Lashes Hong Kong as Typhoon Heads Toward China; Taiwan and Philippines Hit by Flooding

Super Typhoon Ragasa intensified as it moved toward southern China on Wednesday, delivering powerful winds and dangerous surges that overwhelmed Hong Kong's harbor and coastal zones, while Taiwan struggled with flooding and the Philippines reported fatalities. The Hong Kong Observatory said Ragasa had maximum sustained winds near the center of about 120 mph (195 km/h) and gusts near 150 mph (240 km/h), with the storm about 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of the financial hub as it skirted the city. Authorities warned of life-threatening conditions and prepared for landfall in the region later in the day.

The most dramatic footage circulated online from Hong Kong showed a huge wall of water smashing through the glass doors of the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, flooding the lobby and sweeping guests and furnishings into the surge. The incident underscored the danger posed by Ragasa as it ripped through the city’s coastlines. In the hours that followed, streets and promenades logged severe flooding, and a vessel crashed into the shore, shattering a row of glass railings along the waterfront. Hong Kong and Macao authorities canceled schools and flights, with many shops closed and hundreds seeking shelter in designated centers. More than 60 people were treated for injuries at hospitals, and rescue workers mobilized to respond to flooded areas and downed trees.

Across Macao, streets turned into torrents as debris floated along waterways. Rescue crews used inflatable boats to reach trapped residents, and the city’s electricity provider temporarily suspended power in some flooded, low-lying neighborhoods for safety. As winds gradually waned in the afternoon, authorities in several nearby cities began outlining plans to resume operations, even as uncertainties persisted about the storm’s path and intensity.

In Guangdong province, authorities evacuated nearly two million residents as Ragasa barreled toward China’s most populous region, home to about 127 million people. Weather stations reported extreme gusts in coastal towns, with reports of waves towering over lampposts and trees being toppled by the driving rain. Officials closed schools, businesses, and transportation services in multiple cities as the storm threatened to reach landfall between Yangjiang and Zhanjiang later in the day.

Taiwan bore the storm’s fiercest inland impact after Ragasa skirted the island’s eastern coast, where a barrier lake in Hualien County burst its banks and unleashed muddy floodwaters that destroyed bridges and turned roads into raging rivers. Officials said at least 15 people had died, and contact was lost with 124 others in Hualien and nearby townships. Across the island, about 7,600 people were evacuated in advance of the deluge, while 34 people were reported injured nationwide. A government spokeswoman, Premier Cho Jung-tai, visited affected areas and vowed to provide assistance, adding that investigators would determine why evacuation orders were not fully complied in some locations, given the scale of the disaster.

Residents described the flood as a “disaster movie.” The floodwaters swept through first floors of homes and commercial districts, displacing families and leaving mud and debris in wake of the overflow. Photos and videos captured by witnesses showed collapsed bridges, submerged vehicles, and homeowners wading through waist-deep water as communities rallied to help. The National Fire Agency released footage of streets flooded to several inches or feet, cars partially submerged, and uprooted trees blocking roads. Authorities warned that more rain and the potential for renewed flooding remained a hazard as Ragasa moved inland and toward the Chinese mainland.

In the Philippines, the storm system’s broad reach caused at least 10 deaths and disrupted life across the major northern region of Luzon, where roughly 700,000 people were affected and about 25,000 sought shelter in government facilities. Five fishermen remained missing after their vessel was battered by large waves, and search-and-rescue teams combed shorelines for others affected by the storm as sunlight failed to bring relief to communities already reeling from the chaos. Authorities urged continued vigilance as Ragasa’s outer bands spread across the archipelago.

As Ragasa weakens from its peak intensity, regional authorities are coordinating rescue and relief efforts, assessing damage, and planning for continued monitoring in the days ahead. The storm’s track places southern China on alert for potential landfall, with emergency services continuing to respond to widespread damage, power outages, and floods in multiple jurisdictions. Officials emphasized the need for ongoing caution, especially in low-lying areas, coastal zones, and river basins that remain prone to flooding as Ragasa’s remnant moisture lingers over the region.