Bracing for the imminent super strong typhoon Ragasa, south China's coastal regions have deployed emergency response teams, suspended ferry services, and reinforced road facilities to ensure the safety of local residents.
Ragasa, the 18th named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, intensified into a super typhoon on Sunday, and is forecast to likely make landfall along the central or western coastal areas of Guangdong Province on Wednesday.
At 10:00 Tuesday, Guangdong raised its wind emergency response to the highest level.
The island-town Chuandao in Jiangmen City of Guangdong Province is expected to be one of the hardest hit areas of Ragasa.
Tourists began leaving the island and local residents in low-lying areas started relocating to safer zones on Monday. On Tuesday, all docks in Chuandao Town have suspended operations.
The fire department dispatched an additional 22 personnel with advanced equipment to the island to make full preparations to respond to the typhoon.
"Our fire truck arrived at the dock at 07:30 and then we drove it over here. We also have a satellite portable station, which will be crucial for providing immediate feedback to the detachment and headquarters in the event of a power outage," said Duan Xueyu, head of Taicheng Station of Taishan Fire Rescue Brigade of Jiangmen City.
Local authorities also deployed 21 emergency teams on Monday, including communication, power repair, and medical units to the island to fully prepare for the upcoming typhoon.
On Tuesday, the Hainan provincial committee for disaster prevention, mitigation and relief upgraded its typhoon response to a Level-III alert for flooding and winds.
According to the Haikou maritime safety administration, "ro-ro" (roll-on/roll-off) passenger ship services across the Qiongzhou Strait will be suspended at 18:00 on Tuesday and are expected to remain suspended until Thursday.
Local authorities have worked against the clock to ensure the passage of vehicles transporting emergency supplies, fresh agricultural products, and vehicles already waiting for ferry services at the port.
The gardening department in Haikou City also deployed people to trim trees along the roads.
"We need to [trim the trees] to reduce the wind resistance and ensure they do not topple or break. For overly tall trees, we are topping them to shorten their height. When trees grow too tall, they become top-heavy and are prone to falling," said Chen Hongguang, director of the Gardening and Greening Section of Haikou Municipal Administration Bureau.
Meanwhile, the agricultural wholesale markets in Haikou have increased storage to ensure the normal supply of vegetables during the typhoon.
"We will increase our order volume depend on the typhoon situation. If we find our stock is low during sales, we will conduct the second or third rounds of restocking to ensure a sufficient supply of vegetables," said Zeng Jimei, deputy manager of the Branch Operation Department under the Haikou Shopping Basket Group.
On Monday, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region elevated its typhoon emergency response to Level-II.
The last batch of over 6,000 tourists were evacuated from Weizhou Island on Tuesday. All passenger and sightseeing ship services and all 51 passenger ferries in the area will be suspended Tuesday afternoon.
South China goes all out, bracing for super typhoon Ragasa
