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25-09-2025
HONG KONG: Hong Kong shut down ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa on Tuesday, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, with authorities urging people to stay at home, while most passenger flights were due to be suspended until Thursday.
People piled into supermarkets, leaving little on the shelves, as panic buying set in and residents stocked up on necessities for fear that shops could be closed for two days.
Windows in homes and businesses across the city were taped up, with residents hoping it could help reduce the impact of any shattered glass.
Ragasa, packing hurricane-force winds of up to 220km/h (137 mph), is posing a “severe threat to the coast of Guangdong”, the Hong Kong Observatory said, referring to the Chinese province that neighbors the financial hub.
It will maintain super typhoon intensity as it edges closer to the coast of Guangdong, and as it impacts Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, after sweeping through the northern Philippines on Monday. It is expected to make landfall along Guangdong’s coast from midday to late Wednesday.
Guangdong authorities evacuated over 770,000 people, state broadcaster CCTV said, adding that more than one million people are expected to be relocated across the province on Tuesday.
Hong Kong issued the typhoon signal 8, its third highest at 2.20 pm (0620 GMT), which urges most businesses and transport services to shut down. More than 700 flights have been disrupted, including in the neighboring gambling hub of Macau and in Taiwan.
The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly later on Tuesday and the observatory said it will assess whether to issue a higher warning late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Hurricane-force winds offshore and on high ground were likely in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with heavy rain expected to lead to a significant storm and sea surge in the densely packed city.
It warned of rising sea levels, which it said would be similar to those seen during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, both of which caused billions of dollars in damage.
Water levels will rise about two metres (six feet) along Hong Kong’s coastal areas and maximum water levels could reach four to five metres (12-15 feet) in some areas, the observatory said, urging residents to take appropriate precautions.
Local authorities handed out sandbags for residents to bolster their homes in low-lying areas, while many people stockpiled daily necessities.
A 35-year-old resident surnamed Mak said he had already bought some groceries but still needed to get more and was preparing his home for the typhoon.
“We shut the windows and doors closely at home and checked if there is leaking,” he said
While some businesses were hoping to profit from people working from home, with one bar on the outlying island of Lantau offering 20% off all drinks throughout a T8 signal.
Hong Kong’s Stock Exchange will remain open. It changed its policy late last year to continue trading whatever the weather.
At Ragasa’s peak intensity on Monday, maximum sustained winds near its eye topped 260 kph (162 mph), making it the world’s most powerful Category 5 storm in 2025.
The typhoon has since weakened slightly but is still capable of wreaking havoc on the densely populated Chinese coast as a Category 4 typhoon. (Int’l News Desk)
