HONG KONG — Streets in southern China were deserted Wednesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa, one of the world’s strongest storms this year, slammed into the region after having carved a deadly path between the Philippines and Taiwan.
At least 14 people were confirmed dead in Taiwan after floodwaters from a barrier lake surged into Guangfu township in eastern Hualien County, Taiwanese media reported early Wednesday, citing officials.
At least three deaths were reported a day earlier in the Philippines, where the storm also displaced thousands of people in the north of the country.
Schools and flights were canceled in the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau, where fierce winds woke residents during the night, and many businesses were closed.
Residents have been stockpiling food and other supplies, while businesses have taped their windows and lined sandbags along entryways.
Callan Williamson, 36, who moved to Hong Kong five years ago and works as a brand manager at a consulting firm, said Ragasa was the first major typhoon he had experienced.
“I have had water coming through the kitchen window,” he said.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued storm warning signal No. 10, the highest in its weather alert system, at 2:40 a.m. local time (2:40 p.m. ET Tuesday), an hour after it issued its second-highest warning signal, No. 9. At 1:20 p.m. local time (1:20 a.m. ET), the signal was lowered to No. 8, the city’s third-highest.
Maximum sustained winds as high as 120 mph were recorded on the island of Lantau, home to Hong Kong’s international airport.
Macau, a major gambling hub, also issued a No. 10 warning signal early Wednesday, and casinos were closed.
Ragasa, which means “scramble” in Tagalog, has brought heavy showers and major storm surge to Hong Kong, and members of the public were advised to stay indoors and stay away from the shoreline and low-lying areas. The observatory said the storm surge caused a general rise of almost 5 feet in water levels across the city.
By late morning, the storm was leaving Hong Kong, a densely populated international financial hub of 7.5 million, though hurricane-force winds persisted.
The Hong Kong stock exchange was open after changing its policy last year to continue trading regardless of weather conditions.
Hong Kong government officials said almost 800 people had sought refuge at dozens of temporary shelters. As of 11 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET Tuesday), there were 56 reported injuries, 350 reports of fallen trees, one reported landslide and 12 reports of flooding.
In one incident, huge waves crashed through the glass doors of the oceanfront Fullerton Hotel on the south side of Hong Kong Island, flooding the ground-floor lobby and sweeping people off their feet, according to videos posted on social media that were verified by NBC News. Calls to the hotel were not answered on Wednesday.
The observatory said that at 2 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), the storm was centered about 110 miles west-southwest of Hong Kong. It was forecast to continue moving west or west-northwest at about 14 mph as it approached the west coast of China’s Guangdong province, where it was expected to make landfall.
Mainland Chinese officials elevated the typhoon emergency response to Level III in Guangdong, the country’s most populous province at more than 125 million people, as well as in the island province of Hainan. More than 1 million people had been evacuated from Guangdong as of Tuesday afternoon, Chinese state media reported.
More than 10 cities in Guangdong have suspended classes, business operations and public transport, including high-speed trains, and flights have been canceled at major regional airports including in the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Officials had said Ragasa could be even more destructive than Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in direct economic losses to the region.
Hong Kong has experienced unusually severe rainfall this year, including four black rainstorms — the city’s highest tier of heavy rain — within eight days from late July to early August. On Aug. 5, the Hong Kong Observatory recorded more than 14.5 inches of rain, the highest daily rainfall in August since records began in 1884.
