China’s Guangdong province on highest alert as super Typhoon Ragasa approaches

Beijing, Sep 23 (PTI) China’s global manufacturing hub, Guangdong province, raised its emergency response to the highest level on Tuesday as super Typhoon Ragasa is forecast to make landfall along the central or western coastal areas of the province.

Typhoon Ragasa entered the South China Sea late Monday and is forecast to move northwest at a speed of about 20 km per hour.

It is expected to land in the coastal areas from Zhuhai City to Xuwen County on Wednesday, packing winds of 40 to 55 metres per second, according to the provincial meteorological observatory, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 10 cities, including the technology hub Shenzhen, have announced the closure of all markets, schools, factories and transport systems, advising people to stay indoors and stockpile food and water.

Shenzhen’s airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge have been closed since Monday. Guangzhou cancelled all flights until Wednesday evening, and Zhuhai cancelled 21 flights on Tuesday, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Residents have been hoarding food, water and even portable phone batteries since Monday. Many online grocery shops in Shenzhen announced that they were short of delivery people and were running out of several items, including bread.

The Shenzhen government said that even though supermarket shelves were empty, an extra 7,000 tonnes of vegetables were being shipped to replenish food supplies.

Some people left Guangdong before transport services closed, worried that the typhoon would disrupt work arrangements.

The typhoon is expected to bring rainstorms and strong winds, with some areas facing extreme precipitation, while regions directly in the path of its centre could experience gusts of up to 60 metres per second.

The provincial flood, drought and wind control headquarters have urged all localities and departments to act with the highest standards, strictest requirements and most concrete measures, and have ordered major affected areas to suspend classes, work, production, public transportation and business operations. PTI KJV RD RD