At least 400,000 people sought shelter on Monday as Super Typhoon Ragasa battered the northern Philippines with destructive winds while charting a path toward southern China.
The Philippine weather bureau confirmed that Ragasa made landfall on Calayan Island in the Babuyan chain at 3:00 p.m. local time (0700 GMT). By 5:00 p.m., the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour (134 mph) and gusts up to 295 kph (183 mph).
“I woke up because of the strong wind. It was hitting the windows, and it sounded like a machine that was switched on,” said Tirso Tugagao, a resident of Aparri in northern Cagayan province.
On Calayan Island, local information officer Herbert Singun reported that parts of a school roof were torn off and struck an evacuation centre just 30 metres away, causing one minor injury. He added: “There were eight coconut trees before. Now only four are still standing. That shows how strong this typhoon is.”
Authorities evacuated over 10,000 Filipinos, closing schools and government offices across Manila and 29 other provinces. Officials warned of severe flooding and landslides in northern Luzon.
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities launched one of their largest-ever typhoon response operations. In Shenzhen, officials announced plans to move hundreds of thousands of people from coastal and low-lying areas. Several Guangdong cities suspended work, classes, and public transport in preparation.
Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific said more than 500 flights would be cancelled, halting passenger services at Hong Kong International Airport from 6:00 p.m. Tuesday until Thursday daytime.
In Taiwan, the weather service warned of “extremely torrential rain” in the east, with outer rainbands already lashing parts of the island. Fire officials confirmed evacuations in mountainous areas of Pingtung.
The storm has revived painful memories of Typhoon Koinu in 2023, which ripped down power lines and tore metal rooftops across the region.
The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is hit by an average of 20 storms annually. Scientists caution that climate change is intensifying typhoons, making them stronger and more destructive.
