Super typhoon hits Philippines as thousands evacuate

A super typhoon that caused thousands to be evacuated in the Philippines has “slightly” weakened, according to the country’s weather bureau.

Super typhoon Ragasa made landfall over Panuitan Island, one of the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines’ northern Cagayan province, at 15:00 local time (08:00 GMT) Monday. Ragasa, packing 285km/h (177mph) wind gusts, is expected to barrel west towards southern China.

Despite its small change in intensity, it still brings a “high risk of life-threatening storm surge”, with peak heights exceeding 3m (10ft), the Philippine weather bureau said.

Authorities have warned of widespread flooding and landslides and damage to homes and infrastructure.

Schools and government offices in large parts of the country, including in the capital Manila, have been shut.

The remote Batanes or Babuyan islands, where Ragasa made landfall, are home to about 20,000 people, many of whom live in poverty.

On one of the islands, Calayan, information officer Herbert Singun told Agence France Presse (AFP) chunks of a school roof had been ripped off, landing on an evacuation centre about 30 metres away, causing one minor injury.

“Can you see those coconut trees swaying in the distance?” he asked during a video call. “There were eight of them before. Now only four are still standing. That goes to show how strong this typhoon is.”

The islands lie about 740km (460 miles) of Taiwan, where nearly 300 people have been evacuated from Hualien, a county in the east.

Ragasa is not expected to hit Taiwan directly but is set to drench the island’s east coast with heavy rains.

Forest areas and nature trails across southern and eastern Taiwan have been closed since early Monday, while some ferry services have also been suspended.

A super typhoon is the equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.

Authorities in China’s Guangdong province have advised residents to prepare for a “catastrophic” and “large-scale disaster”. Heavy rains and strong winds would be felt as early as Tuesday, authorities said, two days before the storm is forecast to make landfall.

Authorities in the Chinese city of Shenzhen said they planned to evacuate 400,000 people ahead of the typhoon.

In the city’s Bao’an district, an employee at an unusually bustling supermarket employee told AFP bread had already sold out by midday local time on Monday. “It’s not normally like this,” he said.

In Hong Kong, authorities said the weather would “deteriorate rapidly” on Tuesday, while the education bureau said it is deliberating over school arrangements.

Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific said it would cancel 500 flights departing the city from 18:00 local time tomorrow, while Hong Kong Airlines said it would stop all departures from the city.

Ragasa, known locally in the Philippines as Nando, comes as the South East Asian nation reels from weeks of widespread flooding caused by an unusually fierce monsoon.

Tens of thousands protested across the country on Sunday against corruption in government that has been blamed for a severe lack in flood control infrastructure.

Additional reporting by Martin Yip in Hong Kong