HONG KONG, Sept 23 — Hong Kong shut down ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa today, the world’s most powerful tropical typhoon this year, with authorities urging people to stay at home, while most passenger flights are due to be suspended until Thursday.
People piled into supermarkets, leaving little on 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 220kph, poses a “severe threat to the coast of Guangdong”, the Hong Kong Observatory said, referring to the Chinese province that neighbours 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 yesterday.
Hong Kong issued typhoon signal 8 (T8), its third highest, at 2.20pm (0620 GMT), which urges most businesses and transport services to shut down. More than 700 flights have been disrupted, including in the neighbouring gambling hub of Macau and in Taiwan.
The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly today and the observatory said it will assess whether to issue a higher warning later today or early tomorrow.
Hurricane-force winds offshore and on high ground are likely in Hong Kong tomorrow, 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 2m along Hong Kong’s coastal areas and maximum water levels could reach 4m to 5m 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 needs more, and is preparing his home for the typhoon.
“We shut the windows and doors closely at home and checked if there is leaking,” he said.
Some businesses are hoping to profit off people working from home, with one bar on the outlying island of Lantau offering 20 per cent 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.
Storm surges
At Ragasa’s peak intensity yesterday, maximum sustained winds near its eye topped 260kph, making it the world’s most powerful Category 5 storm this year.
The typhoon has since weakened slightly but is still capable of wreaking havoc on the densely populated Chinese coast as a Category 4 typhoon. China authorities have activated flood control measures in several southern provinces, warning of heavy rain from late today.
More than 10 cities in Guangdong, including technology hub Shenzhen and coastal city Zhuhai, had suspended work, transport services and schools due to warnings of storm surges and high waves.
China’s environmental forecasting centre said coastal waters off Guangdong would be hit by huge to extremely rough waves with heights of up to 7m.
Authorities in Shenzhen have prepared more than 800 emergency shelters, while in the city’s Nanshan district, teams are chainsawing tree branches along main roads in preparation for the typhoon.
“It’s just the bigger ones where there’s a risk. We’ll be out all afternoon all over the district,” said a worker surnamed Zhang, surrounded by piles of logs from behind a taped-off area of pavement.
Residents in the world’s largest gambling hub of Macau also braced for significant impact. All its casinos will be forced to shut by 5pm (0900 GMT) when the former Portuguese colony lifts its typhoon signal to 8.
Taiwan’s government has evacuated more than 7,600 people from mountainous southern and eastern areas, while transport disruptions continued for a second day today, with 273 flights cancelled and some rail services suspended.
