Authorities across southern China have been enacting emergency response measures as Typhoon Ragasa made landfall along the coast of south China's Guangdong Province on Wednesday afternoon, with the powerful storm bringing ferocious winds and torrential rain.
Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of the year and by far the strongest, first entered the South China Sea late Monday and has been moving along the southern edge of Guangdong at a speed of about 20 kilometers per hour.
The Guangdong provincial emergency management department had acted in advance of Ragasa's arrival, with over one million people being evacuated as a precaution. Various control measures have been imposed in coastal waters by local authorities, with all port operations suspended. Over 80,000 fishing boats have been secured in ports, while more than 12,200 offshore workers are taking shelter onshore across the province.
The central government has also urgently allocated supplies to support Guangdong in response to the typhoon.
Meanwhile, local authorities in other affected areas have also taken relevant measures.
In the southern island province of Hainan, high-speed rail services have been suspended, with flights also adjusted, and over 1,000 yachts being berthed.
The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region evacuated tourists from its Weizhou Island and also closed coastal routes ahead of the incoming bad weather.
The typhoon also forced classes to be suspended in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) while local transport also ground to a halt, while the Macao SAR experienced severe flooding in low-lying areas with a number of residents relocated.
China's Central Meteorological Observatory has forecast that the intensity of winds and rainfall around the Guangdong coast will weaken on Thursday, with the heavy rain shifting to the west and likely hitting the neighboring Guangxi region.
The public have been advised to take precautions, avoid unnecessary trips, and be alert for the risks posed by potential flooding in urban centers, as well as possible mountain torrents and landslides in various other parts of southern and eastern China, including in the Yunnan, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces, where heavy rain is expected.
China's southern regions respond as super typhoon Ragasa makes landfall
