The passage of Typhoon Ragasa across the Northwest Pacific has unleashed a trail of impacts from the Philippines to southern China, with floods, hurricane gusts and a heightened emergency response. As the storm weakens over the mainland, preliminary figures show a significant human and material toll.
After advancing through the South China Sea, the system hit Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong Province of China, after leaving dozens of victims in TaiwanAuthorities activated the highest alert levels, evacuated hundreds of thousands of people, and suspended classes, transportation, and some economic activity to reduce risks.
Taiwan: Flash floods and severe damage
On the island, the tragedy was concentrated in the county of Hualien, where the collapse of a natural dam which contained a lake formed after previous landslides released an enormous flow and flooded the municipality of Guangfu. Authorities reported At least 17 dead, 17 missing and 32 injured, many of them surprised by the water on ground floors.
The images showed streets turned into torrents, vehicles swept away and homes flooded up to the first floors. A bridge was destroyed due to the flood, and rescue teams had difficulty accessing rural areas to locate residents who had taken refuge at higher altitudes.
According to previous technical assessments, the sediment barrier could not neither dredged nor lightened safely, so continuous monitoring was chosen. The arrival of Torrential rains associated with Ragasa accelerated the collapse of the natural dam and triggered the avalanche of water.
La Taiwanese civil protection had issued warnings and targeted evacuations in mountainous areas, but the intensity of the rainfall overwhelmed the response. Teams continue door-to-door searches and maintain rescue operations in the most affected areas.
Hong Kong and Macau: high alert, waves and fallen trees
The metropolitan area of Hong Kong dawned under the sign of typhoon 10, the highest at the local observatory, with gusts reaching the city around 168 km/h y tidal waves exceeding 3 meters in some points along the coast.
The storm passed by about 100 kilometers south from the urban center, enough to provoke falling scaffolding, trees and damage to facades, as well as occasional flooding in low-lying areas. Health services attended to 101 people, while road closures and minor debris avalanches occurred.
The impact paralyzed much of the mobility: nearly 1.000 flights were affected by cancellations and diversions, and transportation services were reduced to a minimum. Macau, the water arrived up to the waist in several neighborhoods and rescues were carried out with boats in streets that had become estuaries.
The authorities recalled that the city has invested in a drainage network high capacity and specific protocols against storm surge, key to minimizing damage that had been recurring for decades. As Ragasa moved further away, the signal was lowered and debris removal began.
Guangdong and the South China Coast: Mass Relocations and Extreme Storms
The cyclone made landfall near the hailing island, in the city of Yangjiang (Guangdong), with winds close to 145 km/hAt the station Chuandao gusts of up to were measured 241 km/h, an exceptional record for the area.
The previous device allowed to relocate almost 1,9 million people throughout the province, with suspension of classes, production and transportation in multiple cities. ShenzhenFor example, the preventive evacuation of 400.000 residents in risk areas.
The provincial capital, Guangzhou, activated the calls “five suspensions” —classes, work, production, transportation, and business operations— to reduce exposure. Tens of thousands of emergency personnel were put on alert, and thousands of boats sought shelter in safe ports.
After the attack, it was reported felled trees, broken fences and power outages that affected hundreds of thousands of homes. In Zhuhai, several avenues were flooded, and in island areas of Jiangmen There were communications interruptions until services were restored.
The Philippines and the pre-season: the start of a virulent trajectory
Before heading to Taiwan and mainland China, Ragasa hit the Northern Luzon to sustained winds who arrived at the 215 km/h and gusts greater than 265 km/h, forcing evacuations, school closures and navigation restrictions.
In the province of Cagayan, at least seven fishermen died when his boat capsized surf and the gale; in addition, there were reports missing people in maritime incidents related to the storm.
Philippine authorities counted hundreds of thousands affected due to floods and landslides, and reinforced the network of emergency shelters. The cancellation of domestic flights and the prohibition of sailing In exposed areas they helped contain the risk at the most critical moments.
The archipelago suffers every season the arrival of numerous typhoons and tropical storms, which find their energy source in the warm waters of the Pacific. Ragasa's rapid intensification fits this pattern, aggravated by oceanic conditions highly conducive to cyclone development.
Intensity, degradation and preparation for cyclones
Ragasa came to be placed among the most powerful systems of the year on a global scale, with exceptional wind peaks over open waters. Already on its approach to the Chinese coast, satellite imagery and surface measurements pointed to a progressive weakening, first to a strong typhoon and then to lower categories.
The region of Philippines, Taiwan and South China has extensive experience in cyclone management: from alert protocols very fine-tuned to investments in urban drainage, levees, and reinforced construction standards. These factors partly explain why, despite the damage, the death toll has not been even higher.
Experts stress that the ocean warming favors wetter and more intense storms, which requires periodic review of the building codes, coastal planning and response plans. The combination of storm surge and extreme rainfall increases the risk of flash flooding in densely populated areas.
Although the cyclone is moving away and weakening, emergency services continue to work with the road sanitation, the restoration of basic services and the damage assessmentMeteorological monitoring remains focused on possible residual rainfall and the condition of slopes and riverbeds following the storm's impact.
The balance sheet left by Ragasa includes victims in Taiwan, notable interruptions in Hong Kong and Macau, and an operation of mass relocation in Guangdong, with structural damage and service outages in several cities; an episode that once again highlights the need to prepare cities and communities for increasingly severe cyclones.
