By Jessie Pang and David Kirton
HONG KONG/SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) -Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, made landfall in southern China on Wednesday after killing 15 people in Taiwan and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains.
In Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county, 17 people remained missing after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town, the fire department said on Wednesday. Ragasa’s outer rim has drenched the island since Monday.
Many residents in the tourist town of Guangfu complained there was insufficient warning from authorities, usually used to moving people out of potential danger zones swiftly as the island is frequently hit by typhoons.
As rains inundated Taiwan, Hong Kong grappled with huge waves that crashed over areas of the Asian financial hub’s eastern and southern shoreline. The water rushed along pavements and submerged some roads and residential properties.
RAGASA MAKES LANDFALL IN SOUTH CHINA
At the Fullerton hotel on the island’s south, videos on social media showed seawater surging through glass doors. Calls to the property remained unanswered on Wednesday.
China’s marine authority issued its highest red wave warning for the first time this year, forecasting storm surges of up to 2.8 metres (9 feet) in parts of Guangdong province, as Ragasa charges towards the densely populated Pearl River Delta.
Ragasa formed over the Western Pacific last week. Fuelled by warm seas and favourable atmospheric conditions, the tropical cyclone rapidly intensified to become a Category 5 super typhoon on Monday with winds exceeding 260 kph (162 mph).
It has since weakened to a Category 3 typhoon, still capable of bringing down trees and power lines, shattering windows and damaging buildings.
“Authorities have taken lessons from Hato and Mangkhut, which both caused billions of dollars in damage in 2017 and 2018,” said Chim Lee, a senior energy and climate change specialist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
“The Pearl River Delta is one of the best-prepared regions for typhoons, so we’re not expecting major disruptions. One change this year is that the Hong Kong stock market has stayed open during typhoons – a sign of how resilient the infrastructure has become,” he said.
That said, Zijin Gold International delayed its $3.2 billion IPO in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
After passing around 100 km (60 miles) south of Hong Kong over the next few hours, Ragasa made landfall along the south Chinese coast.
Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan and Dongguan, the largest cities in the storm’s path, are home to around 50 million people.
PEOPLE EVACUATED AND SHELTERS OPENED
The emergency management ministry dispatched tens of thousands of tents, folding beds, emergency lighting and other rescue supplies to Guangdong on Tuesday, Chinese state media reported, while over 770,000 people have been evacuated.
Some shops and restaurants in the province parked large rented trucks in front of their storefronts in a bid to shield them from the storm, local media reported.
“We live on an upper floor and saw there wasn’t too much danger, so I brought the kids out to experience this heavy rain and wind,” a 40-year-old Shenzhen resident surnamed Liang said. “We walked along the open road to make sure to stay safe.”
A crowd chasing the storm under Shenzhen Bay Bridge was moved on by traffic police.
“The typhoon was really intense, but I’ve not been out long,” said an electric scooter delivery driver who goes by the name of Tim and was using his vehicle to assess the damage.
“It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also dangerous. I wanted to ride around the waterfront, but it’s too dangerous, so I had to come back onto the bridge.”
China’s marine authority warned of a high risk of flooding in Shenzhen, especially in low-lying areas, with a storm surge alert expected to remain in effect until Thursday.
A woman and her five-year-old son were swept into the ocean on Tuesday after watching the typhoon from the Hong Kong waterfront, according to the South China Morning Post, which said they were now in intensive care.
Hong Kong lowered its typhoon signal to 8 from 10 after 0500 GMT on Wednesday, keeping the city locked down.
The hospital authority said at least 50 people had been injured by the typhoon, while the government had opened 50 temporary shelters, within which 791 sought refuge.
In the gambling hub of Macau next to Hong Kong, casinos were forced to shutter their gambling areas. Guests were not able to leave their property. One user on China’s Xiaohongshu app showed videos of doors being sealed at a casino resort for protection against gales and debris.
(Reporting by Anne Marie Roantree, Jessie Pang and the Hong Kong newsroom; David Kirton in Shenzhen, Ben Blanchard in Taipei, Joe Cash in Beijing and the Beijing newsroom; Writing by Farah Master and Joe Cash; Editing by Saad Sayeed and Janet Lawrence)
