By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
HONG Kong closed schools and cancelled flights on Tuesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached the city with a force officials warned could be among the most destructive in its recent history.
The powerful storm is posing a severe threat to lives and property, prompting authorities in mainland China to order the closure of businesses and schools in at least ten cities across the country’s south, affecting tens of millions of people.
Ragasa had already wreaked havoc in the northern Philippines, toppling trees, ripping roofs from buildings, and triggering a landslide that killed at least two people. Thousands of residents sought refuge in schools and evacuation centres as the storm passed.
According to Hong Kong’s weather service, the super typhoon was producing maximum sustained winds of 220 kilometres per hour near its centre as it moved westwards across the South China Sea.
The Hong Kong Observatory raised its third-highest typhoon warning at 2:20 pm local time on Tuesday, cautioning that Ragasa “has an extensive circulation with fierce winds.”
“The weather is expected to start deteriorating rapidly later today, with winds strengthening quickly,” the observatory said, warning that a “significant” storm surge could cause water levels to rise by up to four metres by Wednesday morning.
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