Hong Kong hunkers down as Super Typhoon Ragasa, 2025’s most powerful storm, barrels toward China coast
Hong Kong shut schools, emptied offices and saw frantic supermarket runs on Wednesday as authorities sounded a high-end typhoon alert for Ragasa, the strongest tropical cyclone recorded so far this year. The observatory raised the signal to No. 8 — a warning that typically closes shops and halts much public transport — warning of hurricane-force winds offshore, heavy rain and potentially dangerous storm surge as the storm edges toward Guangdong province.
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Flights across the region were hammered: more than 700 services have been disrupted in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Ferry routes and buses were curtailed and many neighbourhoods moved to board up windows, tape glass and stack sandbags as they waited for the worst. The observatory said it will reassess late Wednesday or early Thursday whether to raise the alert again.
Scenes on the ground
Across the city, shelves lay depleted after shoppers rushed to stockpile rice, bottled water and instant noodles—an all-too-familiar ritual for those who live on the front line of Asia’s storm belt. In apartment towers from Kowloon to the outlying islands, residents sealed windows with tape and plastic, hoping to limit the damage that flying glass could inflict. Low-lying districts received sandbags issued by local authorities.
“We shut the windows and doors closely at home and checked if there is leaking,” said a 35-year-old resident as he lugged crates back from a supermarket. “I still need to get more. You never know what the damage could be.”
Not all preparations were grim. A small bar on Lantau Island advertised 20% off all drinks while the T8 signal remained in force — a marketing quirk born of businesses trying to make the best of a day when most people are holed up at home.
Storm strength and risks
Ragasa reached its peak with sustained winds near 260 kilometres per hour around its eye, classifying it as a powerful Category 5 system at its height. Forecasters say it has weakened slightly but is expected to make landfall or pass close enough to generate devastating impacts as a Category 4 storm for coastal areas.
The Hong Kong Observatory warned of storm surges comparable to those seen during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018 — events that inflicted billions of dollars in damage and left communities rebuilding for years. Water levels are expected to rise about two metres along many coastal stretches, with local maxima of four to five metres projected in vulnerable bays and inlets. China’s environmental forecasting centre warned of waves up to seven metres off Guangdong’s coast.
- More than 10 cities in Guangdong, including Shenzhen and Zhuhai, suspended work, schools and transport services.
- Shenzhen opened more than 800 emergency shelters and crews trimmed trees in coastal districts to reduce falling-branch hazards.
- Macau authorities announced casinos would be forced to close by 5 p.m. local time once the typhoon signal rises to No. 8 — an uncommon pause in an industry used to operating through most conditions.
- Taiwan reported nearly 60 centimetres of rain in mountainous eastern zones, 25 injuries and hundreds of flight cancellations, illustrating how far-ranging Ragasa’s effects have already been.
Economic ripples
The storm’s timing is another challenge. Hong Kong’s stock exchange, which revised its weather rules last year, said trading would continue despite the typhoon alert — a decision that reflects efforts to keep global markets linked but also raises questions about worker safety. Ports, logistics hubs and factories along China’s southern coast are likely to feel ripple effects, potentially disrupting supply chains that stretch from electronics factories to food importers.
Hong Kong, with its dense population and limited high ground, faces particular exposure. High tides compounded by seaborne battering could flood low-lying streets and subway entrances — infrastructure that has become more vulnerable as coastal cities have expanded and reclaimed land in recent decades.
Regional preparations and concerns
Authorities across southern China mobilised flood-control teams and public messaging. In Macau, the shutdown of casinos for several hours could mean losses in a city whose economy is dominated by gaming. In Guangdong and Fujian provinces, rescuers and local officials have been ordered to prepare for evacuations and to shore up reservoirs and drainage systems.
For residents, the choices are immediate and pragmatic: move valuables to higher floors, keep emergency kits close, and heed evacuation orders when they come. For governments, the calculus is longer-term — how to reinforce coastal defences, upgrade drainage and better plan urban expansions in the face of intensifying storm risks.
Why this matters beyond the immediate danger
Ragasa is another reminder of a broader trend: the increasing intensity and unpredictability of tropical cyclones in a warming world. Warmer seas can fuel stronger storms and feed more moisture into cyclone bands, producing heavier downpours. Coastal megacities from Manila to Miami are facing the combined strains of rising seas, aging infrastructure and dense populations.
How will governments balance keeping commerce flowing with protecting workers and residents? Are emergency shelters and evacuation routes adequate for the urban populations that line much of Asia’s coast? And as storms like Ragasa grow larger and faster, how should insurers, planners and international aid agencies shift their strategies?
For now, attention is on the hours ahead. The observatory’s decision on whether to raise the signal further will be closely watched — and for millions in the storm’s path, the coming night could be decisive.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
