Thousands of people have been evacuated in northern Philippines such as the Super Typhoon Ragasa Toca Earth, and the authorities describe the storm as potentially “catastrophic.”
The Super Typhoon Ragasa, with gusts of wind that reach 230 km/h (143 mph), reached the ground on the island of Panuitan in the province of Cagayan at 3:00 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT) on Monday, according to the National Meteorology Agency. The storm is moving west towards southern China.
Ragasa entails a “high risk of potentially mortal cyclonic swells” with maximum expected heights above 3m (10 feet), the office said. The authorities have also warned floods, landslides and household damage and infrastructure.
Government schools and offices are closed in much of the country, including the capital, Manila. The remote Batanes and the Babuyan Islands, where the typhoon arrived for the first time, house some 20,000 people.
The islands are about 740 km (460 miles) from Taiwan, where almost 300 people have been transferred from Hualien County. Ragasa is not expected to hit Taiwan directly, but will bring heavy rains to the east coast.
According to the BBC, the authorities have closed the forest areas, the trails of nature and some ferry services.
A super typhoon is the same force as a category 5 hurricane.
The authorities in the province of Guangdong of China are advising residents who prepare for a “catastrophic large -scale disaster” and “large -scale.” Heavy rains and strong winds are expected to begin on Tuesday. In the city of Shenzhen, officials plan to evacuate 400,000 people.
In Hong Kong, the authorities said the weather would “deteriorate quickly” on Tuesday. The Education Office is still considering school closures. Cathay Pacific will cancel 500 flights from 18:00 local time tomorrow, while Hong Kong Airlines has also stopped all departures.
This typhoon, known locally as Nando, hits the Philippines, since the country is already dealing with generalized floods of a strong monzón season.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people protested the corruption of the government, who blame for the poor flood control infrastructure.
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