Workers put barriers over a drain cover opened up to clear flood waters (Image credits: AP)
HONG KONG: A weakened Tropical Cyclone Ragasa pushed west along the southern Chinese coast towards Vietnam on Thursday after flooding streets and homes in the economic hub of Guangdong province and causing deaths in Taiwan and the Philippines earlier in the week. In the Guangdong city of Yangjiang, over 10,000 trees were damaged and branches floated in submerged streets. Crews used excavators to clear toppled trees and worked to clear blocked roads, Yangjiang Daily reported. Nearly half a million households suffered power outages and more than a third of those homes remained without electricity Thursday morning, the newspaper reported. Streets in the city of Zhuhai turned into rivers and rescuers used inflatable boats to rescue stranded residents. Water inundated the ground floors of homes in older neighborhoods, Southern Metropolis Daily reported. Communication with people on some islands in Jiangmen city were cut off, Southern Weekly newspaper said. To the west in the Guangxi region, schools and businesses were closed and tourism activities halted in some cities. More than 2 million people were relocated across Guangdong ahead of Ragasa, which peaked at super-typhoon strength on Monday with maximum sustained winds of 265 kph (165 mph) and the world’s strongest cyclone of the year. By Thursday afternoon, its sustained winds had weakened to a maximum 55 kph (34 mph) and Ragasa, downgraded to a tropical depression, was forecast to dissipate eventually while remaining a rain threat for Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh ordered government ministries and local authorities to protect infrastructure like dams and hospitals, secure fishing vessels and coastal assets, and ready evacuation and, search and rescue operations. Some flights were canceled or rescheduled, and workers trimmed trees to avoid wind hazards in the northern part of the country. For Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, activities halted earlier in the week were gradually returning to normal. Flights in Hong Kong resumed after some 1,000 had been disrupted, affecting about 140,000 passengers. Businesses reopened Thursday. But some big fallen branches remained scattered on the streets after more than 1,200 trees across the city were topped by the fierce winds. Some 100 injured people were sent to the hospital. In Taiwan, authorities on Thursday revised the death toll from 17 to 14, citing double-counting. The victims were in eastern Hualien county, where heavy rain caused a barrier lake to overflow, sending water gushing into nearby Guangfu township. Muddy torrents destroyed a bridge, turning the roads in the township into churning rivers that carried vehicles and furniture away. Some people remained out of contact in Hualien, and dozens were injured across the island. During a visit to the county, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences over the loss of lives, saying the government would do its utmost to help Hualien return to normal life. In the Philippines, Ragasa left at least 11 dead, including seven fishermen who drowned Monday when their boat overturned in northern Cagayan province. Two fishermen remained missing Thursday. Another tropical storm was approaching the Philippines from the Pacific. The storm, which was named Opong in the country and Bualoi elsewhere, was forecast to hit the east-central Philippines on Friday and could still strengthen into a typhoon. It had sustained winds of up to 110 kph (68 mph) and higher gusts, government forecasters said.
