HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong shut down ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa on Tuesday, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, with authorities urging people to stay at home, while most passenger flights were due to be suspended until Thursday.
People piled into supermarkets, leaving little on the shelves, as panic buying set in and residents stocked up on necessities for fear that shops could be closed for two days.
Windows in homes and businesses across the city were taped up, with residents hoping it could help reduce the impact of any shattered glass.
Ragasa, packing hurricane-force winds of up to 220km/h (137 mph), is posing a “severe threat to the coast of Guangdong”, the Hong Kong Observatory said, referring to the Chinese province that neighbours the financial hub.
It will maintain super typhoon intensity as it edges closer to the coast of Guangdong, and as it impacts Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, after sweeping through the northern Philippines on Monday.
Hong Kong issued the typhoon signal 8, its third highest at 2.20 p.m. (0620 GMT), which urges most businesses and transport services to shut down. More than 700 flights have been disrupted, including in the neighbouring gambling hub of Macau and in Taiwan.
The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly later on Tuesday and the observatory said it will assess whether to issue a higher warning late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.
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 four to five metres (12-15 feet) in some areas, the observatory said, urging residents to take appropriate precautions.
Local authorities handed out sandbags for residents to bolster their homes in low-lying areas, while many people stockpiled daily necessities.
A 35-year-old resident surnamed Mak said he had already bought some groceries but still needed to get more and was preparing his home for the typhoon.
“We shut the windows and doors closely at home and checked if there is leaking,” he said
While some businesses were hoping to profit from people working from home, with one bar on the outlying island of Lantau offering 20% off all drinks throughout a T8 signal.
Hong Kong’s Stock Exchange will remain open. It changed its policy late last year to continue trading whatever the weather.
STORM SURGES
At Ragasa’s peak intensity on Monday, maximum sustained winds near its eye topped 260 kph (162 mph), making it the world’s most powerful Category 5 storm in 2025.
The typhoon has since weakened slightly but is still capable of wreaking havoc on the densely populated Chinese coast as a Category 4 typhoon.Chinese authorities have activated flood control measures in several southern provinces, warning of heavy rain from late on Tuesday.
More than 10 cities in Guangdong, including technology hub Shenzhen and coastal city Zhuhai had suspended work, transport services and schools due to warnings of storm surges and high waves.
China’s Environmental Forecasting centre said that coastal waters off Guangdong would be hit by huge to extremely rough waves with heights of up to seven metres (21 feet).
Authorities in Shenzhen have prepared more than 800 emergency shelters, while in the city’s Nanshan district, teams were chainsawing tree branches along main roads in preparation for the typhoon.
“It’s just the bigger ones where there’s a risk. We’ll be out all afternoon all over the district,” said a worker surnamed Zhang, surrounded by piles of logs from behind a taped-off area of pavement
Residents in the world’s largest gambling hub of Macau also braced for significant impact. All its casinos will be forced to shut by 5.00 p.m. (0900 GMT) when the former Portuguese colony lifts its typhoon signal to 8.
Taiwan logged almost 60 cm (24 inches) of rainfall in its mountainous east and reported 25 people injured, while transport disruptions continued for a second day on Tuesday with 273 flights cancelled.
(Reporting by Jessie Pang, the Hong Kong and Beijing newsrooms; Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee in Taipei; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Neil Fullick and Michael Perry)
