Evacuations were ordered in the Philippines and Taiwan on Sunday in anticipation of potential floods and landslides as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached, intensifying on its path towards southern China.
The typhoon was experiencing “rapid intensification” and was predicted to make landfall on the sparsely populated Batanes or Babuyan islands by Tuesday afternoon, according to the Philippine weather agency.
As of 11 am (0300 GMT), the storm’s center had maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching 230 kph, moving westward towards the archipelago, the weather service reported.
Interior department Secretary Jonvic Remulla urged local officials to swiftly evacuate families from danger zones.
In Taiwan, nearly 300 residents from Hualien County in the east were set to be evacuated, with numbers subject to change based on the typhoon’s trajectory.
“A land typhoon warning is expected to be issued tonight… and by 6 am tomorrow, the typhoon will approach Taiwan’s offshore,” the Central Weather Administration announced.
Philippine weather specialist John Grender Almario warned of “severe flooding and landslides” in northern Luzon during a press briefing on Sunday.
– Flood Protests –
“We anticipate the typhoon’s effects to begin tonight,” he noted, adding that “the strongest impact will occur at 8 am tomorrow.”
Strong winds and heavy rains are likely across other parts of Luzon, although Manila, where protests erupted against fraudulent flood control projects, is expected to be mostly unaffected.
The ongoing corruption scandal, involving billions lost to incomplete or “ghost” flood control projects, has implicated several lawmakers and incited national outrage.
The Philippines, located in the Pacific cyclone belt, faces about 20 storms and typhoons annually, leaving millions in disaster-prone regions in persistent poverty.
Scientists warn that, due to climate change, storms are becoming more intense as global temperatures rise.
On Sunday, the Hong Kong Observatory forecasted that weather in the financial hub would “deteriorate gradually” on Tuesday and Wednesday, with gale-force winds and storm surges similar to those of 2018’s Typhoon Mangkhut.
