Hong Kong comes to a standstill ahead of the strongest typhoon of the year

Life in Hong Kong came to a virtual standstill on Tuesday ahead of the arrival of Super Typhoon Ragasa, considered the strongest tropical cyclone in the world this year.

Authorities urged people to stay at home and suspended most transport services until Thursday.
Many people panicked and stocked up on basic necessities in supermarkets.

Typhoon Ragasa, with wind speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour, poses a serious threat to the Chinese province of Guangdong, including Hong Kong, which issued a T8 warning—the third highest.

Severe weather, heavy rain, and storm surges are expected, similar to Typhoons Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018.

Sea levels could rise by 2 to 5 meters in some areas.

As a result of the typhoon, more than 700 flights have been canceled in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. In the Chinese city of Shenzhen, over 800 emergency shelters have been prepared, and emergency services are securing the city to ensure the storm passes as safely as possible.

In neighboring Macau, all casinos had to close. Taiwan reported nearly 60 centimeters of rain and 25 injuries, with traffic remaining severely disrupted.

(reuters, sie)