In the Philippines and southern China, thousands of people have been evacuated due to Typhoon Ragasa

Manila/Hong Kong, September 22 - Authorities in the Philippines evacuated thousands of people today as super typhoon Ragasa hit the northern part of the country. Government offices and schools were closed in most of the Philippines, including the capital Manila. The typhoon could cause flooding, landslides and significant damage to infrastructure. China is also preparing for the typhoon, which is expected to hit its southern parts on Wednesday. The Chinese city of Shenzhen has begun preparing to evacuate 400,000 people. Hong Kong International Airport will cancel all flights for 36 hours from Tuesday evening, Reuters reported.

Super typhoon Ragasa, which has winds of 215 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 295 kilometers per hour, hit the Philippine island of Calayan today. It is part of the sparsely populated Babuyan group of islands in the Luzon Strait. From there, the typhoon is expected to continue westward towards southern China. Meteorologists warn that the storm could raise dangerous waves that could exceed three meters in height.

Philippine authorities warned of widespread power outages and airlines canceled more than a dozen domestic flights, mostly to the main island of Luzon. Ports have suspended ferry services.

According to current forecasts, the typhoon is not expected to hit Taiwan directly, but the outer edge of the storm is likely to bring heavy rain to the island's sparsely populated east coast. Taiwan has already issued warnings for the sea and land and canceled flights to cities in the east of the island. Ragasa is expected to hit Hong Kong and the coast of southern China later.

In the region, authorities have already begun making extensive plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from coastal and low-lying areas to safety. In addition to Shenzhen, several other cities in Guangdong province have announced school cancellations, office closures and public transport shutdowns.

The Philippines is the first major territory to face the Pacific cyclone belt. The archipelago is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year. Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to climate change.

WT.24