Hong Kong braced for Super Typhoon Ragasa on Tuesday, the world's most powerful tropical typhoon this year, shutting schools and some businesses, while most passenger flights were scheduled to be suspended later in the day until early Thursday.
Ragasa, packing hurricane-force winds of up to 220km/h (137 mph), is edging closer to the coast of neighbouring southern Guangdong province in China, the Hong Kong Observatory said.
Authorities in the financial hub are set to raise the typhoon signal to 8, its third highest, by 2.20 p.m. (0620 GMT), which will prompt most businesses and transport services to shut down. About 700 flights have been disrupted.
The observatory said it will assess if it needs to issue a higher warning late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Ragasa swept through the northern Philippines on Monday, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to order the country's disaster response agency to go on full alert and mobilise all government agencies.
The Hong Kong Observatory said 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 up to 4-5 metres (12-15 feet) in some areas, the observatory said, urging residents to take appropriate precautions.
Local authorities handed out sandbags on Monday for residents to bolster their homes in low-lying areas, while many people stockpiled daily necessities.
Long queues formed at supermarkets; milk and meat sold out and vegetable prices at fresh-produce markets tripled, according to Reuters witnesses on Monday.
Hong Kong's Stock Exchange will remain open. It changed its policy late last year to continue trading whatever the weather. Chinese authorities have activated flood control measures in several southern provinces, warning of heavy rain from late on Tuesday.
Residents in the world's largest gambling hub of Macau are also bracing for significant impact, with school closures and evacuation plans under way.
In China's technology hub Shenzhen, authorities said they have prepared more than 800 emergency shelters.
Taiwan's government has evacuated more than 7,600 people from mountainous southern and eastern areas, while transport disruption continued for a second day on Tuesday with 273 flights cancelled and some rail services suspended.
Lawyers warn that the case could eventually involve up to 1.8 million UK drivers across 14 brands, potentially making it the largest consumer class ac...
Official Tbilisi is aiming to establish a genuine and meaningful strategic partnership with Washington....
European stock markets opened the week on a positive note, buoyed by hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and declining geopoliti...
The trilateral meeting between Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia aimed at strengthening economic and transport cooperation is considered a key platform for...
A nor’easter bringing heavy rain and strong winds has caused widespread flooding across New Jersey....
Lawyers warn that the case could eventually involve up to 1.8 million UK drivers across 14 brands, potentially making it the largest consumer class action in British legal history.
Official Tbilisi is aiming to establish a genuine and meaningful strategic partnership with Washington.
European stock markets opened the week on a positive note, buoyed by hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and declining geopolitical risks in the Middle East.
The trilateral meeting between Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia aimed at strengthening economic and transport cooperation is considered a key platform for the region.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
The Gaza summit held on 13 October in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, is being hailed as a significant diplomatic milestone for securing peace in the region.
A nor’easter bringing heavy rain and strong winds has caused widespread flooding across New Jersey.
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina postponed a planned national address on Monday after a group of soldiers threatened to seize the headquarters of the state broadcaster, according to the presidency.
The European Union’s next wave of eastward enlargement, particularly involving candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe, could prove decisive for Europe’s energy security and competitiveness.
Venezuela has closed its embassy in Oslo, Norway’s foreign ministry confirmed on Monday, days after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment