Beijing: Super typhoon Ragasa left 14 people dead and 18 injured in Taiwan, while China’s southern Guangdong province, a key global manufacturing hub, evacuated over a million residents in preparation for the powerful storm’s landfall expected later on Wednesday.
Described as the most powerful storm to hit the Chinese coast this year, Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of the season, is forecast to make landfall along the coastline of Guangdong province, official media here reported.
It could become the most powerful storm to strike China so far this year, the state-run CGTN TV said.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported that the lake, which was formed by debris dislodged by previous rains, overflowed on Tuesday morning, followed by a much larger surge in floodwater at about 4:30pm local time (08:30 GMT).
Video footage shared by Taiwanese media showed fast-moving waters surging through Guangfu Township, dragging vehicles and destroying a bridge.
The CNA reported that many people took shelter on their roofs until floodwaters receded, leaving mud and debris in their wake.
Super Typhoon Ragasa, earlier this week, swept Taiwan and its outlying islands with heavy winds and rain as it moved south.
Some parts of Hualien County on Taiwan’s rugged east coast received upwards of 700mm of rainfall, while towns in the south and east were hit by 500-600mm of rain, according to the CNA.
Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said in a Facebook post late on Tuesday that all government ministries and the military had been mobilised to help with the emergency response and disaster cleanup.
“Everyone must remain vigilant. All frontline disaster response personnel are urged to put their own safety first while carrying out their duties,” Lai said.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 160 flights at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport were cancelled, while rail lines and ferry services were suspended in some areas.
The majority of cancelled flights were short-haul hops to or from Hong Kong and Macau, which began shutting down on Tuesday in anticipation of the typhoon.
Hong Kong’s weather authorities issued their highest typhoon warning of “T10” on Wednesday and warned of possible landslides as the storm passed 150km (93 miles) southwest of the Chinese territory.
Ragasa whipped waves higher than lampposts onto Hong Kong promenades and halted life on the southern Chinese coast.
The Hong Kong Observatory reported maximum “sustained” winds of 112-153 km/h (70-95 mph) and maximum gusts exceeding 184 km/h (114 mph) on Wednesday morning, but said the storm was departing as of 11am local time (03:00 GMT).
The HKO said that typhoon warnings would remain in place as the effects of the storm were still being felt.
“Members of the public should be on high alert and beware of destructive winds. Local weather will be persistently adverse today, with frequent heavy squally showers and thunderstorms,” the observatory said.
“Seas will be phenomenal with swells.”
Hong Kong Free Press reported that more than 700 flights would be grounded due to the typhoon.
The southern Chinese province of Guangdong has meanwhile relocated more than 1 million people in preparation for the storm to hit on Wednesday afternoon, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency.
