Typhoon Ragasa makes landfall in southern China, prompting mass evacuations in Guangdong
Guangdong authorities evacuated nearly two million residents as Ragasa, the year's strongest storm, bears down with high tides, heavy rain and risk of landslides.
Typhoon Ragasa made landfall in southern China on Wednesday evening, bringing sustained winds of up to 100 mph, sheets of rain and pounding waves as authorities evacuated nearly two million residents in Guangdong province. By 17:00 local time (09:00 GMT), the cyclone had crossed from the South China Sea into the mainland, triggering a red alert for high tides and coastal surges and prompting the largest evacuation operation in the province this year.
Ragasa has already battered the Philippines and Taiwan, where officials reported at least 15 deaths after a mountain lake breached its banks amid heavy rains. As the storm brushed past Hong Kong, steep waves crashed along the coast and flooding affected some low-lying areas. By the time it neared Guangdong, the storm's core delivered more violent gusts and rain, raising fears of landslides and power outages across a swath of the Pearl River Delta.
In Zhuhai, the eye of the storm loomed over the coast, and tall buildings' windows trembled as gusts intensified. Police vehicles patrolled streets with megaphones, urging residents to stay indoors, while the few who ventured out faced heavy rain and flying debris. The city, home to nearly three million people, had already prepared with sandbags and reinforced shutters, and hundreds of evacuation centers were opened as a precaution.
Officials said the evacuation effort was well advanced, with nearly two million people moved from high-risk areas and more centers readied to take in displaced residents. For many families, the day meant a rare school closure and a chance to gather belongings before a long night indoors. Neighbourhood watch volunteers checked on households door to door, and police remained on street corners and at beaches to prevent people from approaching the surf.
China has long warned that the country faces more extreme weather events, and Guangdong's weather department issued a rare 'catastrophic disaster' warning in the days ahead of Ragasa. State media emphasized the need for preparation, and officials stressed that warnings would be issued well in advance to reduce casualties. Experts have noted an uptick in the intensity of typhoons in recent years, a trend some scientists attribute to climate change.
Even as Ragasa closed in, authorities warned of more threats in the days ahead: continued heavy rain across Guangdong and nearby provinces, and the possibility of landslides in hilly areas. The red alert levels mobilized resources, with evacuation centers operational and emergency services on heightened standby. State media described this as a test of the country's disaster-management system, built from past experiences with major storms.
Ragasa's landfall in China is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather that has marked the year, with heatwaves, droughts, floods and disrupted harvests reported across the country. In Zhuhai and other coastal cities, responders emphasized the importance of timely alerts, evacuation protocols and resilient infrastructure to absorb storms without catastrophic losses.
By Thursday, authorities were still routing staged responses, with hundreds of evacuation centers available and residents staying in shelters or boarding up windows. The storm's path remained uncertain as it pushed inland, but the priority was to minimize casualties and damage.
As the rain eased and winds shifted, residents assessed the damage and waited for officials to confirm the next steps. Ragasa's approach underscored the ongoing vulnerability of coastal communities to powerful storms and the need for continued adaptation in the face of climate variability.