Super Typhoon Ragasa barrels through northern Philippines, triggers alerts across region

MANILA - Super Typhoon Ragasa churned off the northern Philippines with tree-snapping winds and heavy rain on Sept 22, setting off storm alerts across East and South-east Asia.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered the disaster response agency to go on full alert and mobilise all government agencies, as more than 10,000 evacuees sheltered in schools and evacuation centres in the country.

Ragasa, which is gaining strength as it proceeds on a collision course with southern China, made landfall in Calayan island in Cagayan province, raising the risk of storm surges exceeding 3m.

The sparsely populated islands lie about 740km south of Taiwan, where smaller-scale evacuations were also under way.

The powerful storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 230kmh, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

The Philippines warned of “imminent” life-threatening conditions.

Video clips shared by disaster agencies showed the northern Cagayan province being pummelled by fierce winds and heavy rain, triggering strong waves and sending trees swaying violently.

“I woke up because of the strong wind. It was hitting the windows, and it sounded like a machine that was switched on,” said Mr Tirso Tugagao, a resident of Aparri, a coastal town in Cagayan province.

“I’m seeing from my house here that the high waves are crashing onto the shore,” the 45-year-old teacher said. “I pray everyone will be safe.”

Cagayan disaster chief Rueli Rapsing said his team was prepared for “the worst”.

The Philippine government closed offices and schools on Sept 22 in Metro Manila and across 29 provinces.

Local officials “must waste no time in moving families out of danger zones”, Interior Department Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a statement.

The Philippines is the first major landmass facing the Pacific cyclone belt, and the archipelago is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, putting millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty.

Disruptions in Hong Kong

Once Ragasa passes the Philippines, it will track across the South China Sea and is expected to pass to the south of Hong Kong.

Gale-force winds will start affecting the city on Sept 24, and could reach hurricane-force strength offshore, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

A spokesman said Airport Authority Hong Kong has commenced preparations to deal with Ragasa.

Hong Kong said its airport would remain open, but operations would be scaled down.

Mr Yeung Tat-wing, director of service delivery at the Hong Kong Airport Authority, said flight operations would be significantly reduced after 6pm on Sept 23 and most flights would be affected on Sept 24.

Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific said on Sept 22 it expected to cancel more than 500 flights.

“Starting at 6pm tomorrow, Sept 23, Cathay Pacific’s passenger flights arriving at and departing from Hong Kong International Airport will cease operations until resuming during daytime hours on Thursday (Sept 25),” a spokeswoman for the airline said.

“More than 500 flights are currently expected to be cancelled.”

Across the city, residents have started stockpiling daily necessities. Long queues formed at supermarkets where products like milk have already sold out, while vegetables were being sold for more than triple their normal price at fresh markets.

Hong Kong was last battered by a super typhoon in September 2023, when Saola, classed as one of the city’s strongest-ever storms, halted flight operations for all airlines for 20 hours. In July 2025, Tropical Storm Wipha forced most airport services to pause for 13 hours.

In Taiwan, the authorities said nearly 300 people will be evacuated from Hualien County in the east, adding that figures could change depending on the typhoon’s movement.

“We estimate that a land typhoon warning will be issued tonight... and tomorrow morning at 6am the typhoon will approach Taiwan’s offshore,” the Central Weather Administration said.

Vietnam’s Defence Ministry has ordered its forces to monitor the storm and prepare for a possible landfall later this week.

The Chinese authorities have activated flood control measures in several southern provinces, warning of heavy rain beginning late on Sept 23.

The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen plans to evacuate 400,000 people, the authorities said.

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due, in part, to the effects of human-driven climate change. AFP, BLOOMBERG, REUTERS