Super Typhoon Ragasa nears Philippines, thousands evacuated as authorities warn of life-threatening storm surge

A super typhoon named Ragasa is approaching the Philippines, bringing maximum sustained winds near 230 kilometers per hour with powerful gusts and a forecast to make landfall over sparsely populated northern islands on Monday before tracking west toward southern China.

The Philippine weather bureau has warned of a high risk of life-threatening storm surge, with peak heights expected to exceed 3 meters (about 10 feet). Schools and government offices in large parts of the country, including Metro Manila, have been shut as officials warned of widespread flooding, landslides and damage to homes and infrastructure.

The remote Batanes or Babuyan islands, home to about 20,000 people many living in poverty, sit in the forecast crosshairs of Ragasa’s first landfall. The islands lie roughly 740 kilometers (about 460 miles) north of Taiwan, where authorities have evacuated nearly 300 people from Hualien as Ragasa approaches. The typhoon is not expected to strike Taiwan directly, but is projected to drench the island’s east coast with heavy rains. In response, forest areas and nature trails across southern and eastern Taiwan have been closed since early Monday, and some ferry services have been suspended.

In mainland China, authorities in Guangdong province have urged residents to prepare for what they described as catastrophic and large-scale disasters. Heavy rains and strong winds could begin as early as Tuesday, two days before Ragasa’s expected landfall on the Chinese coast. Hong Kong authorities warned that weather would deteriorate rapidly on Tuesday, and the education bureau said it was weighing school arrangements amid the approaching storm.

Ragasa is known locally in the Philippines as Nando. The storm arrives as the country has been contending with weeks of widespread flooding caused by an unusually fierce monsoon season.

The unfolding event comes amid political and social strains in the Philippines. Tens of thousands protested across the country on Sunday against corruption in government that has been blamed for a severe lack of flood-control infrastructure, underscoring the challenges authorities face in disaster planning and response.

Meteorologists cautioned that even as Ragasa moves toward land, heavy rains, dangerous winds, and storm surges could continue to threaten coastal and low-lying communities, as well as agricultural areas and infrastructure. Officials urged residents in coastal and flood-prone areas to heed evacuation orders, seek higher ground where advised, secure properties, and stay tuned to official updates for new instructions as Ragasa progresses along its forecast path.