Hong Kong and southern China are approaching while Super Typhoon is getting closer

China has evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and ordered at least 10 cities to close schools and certain companies, because the strongest storm of the year takes place on its southern coast.

Hong Kong has improved its Typhon warning at eight – at only two levels below the maximum – before the arrival of the Super Typhon Ragasa.

The storm should touch land in the Chinese province of Guangdong on Wednesday, where some 370,000 people have been evacuated so far, while the authorities warn against a “catastrophic” situation.

Ragasa has been nicknamed the “King of Storms” by the Chinese Meteorological Agency and should move to northern Vietnam in the coming days, potentially affecting millions.

On Tuesday, the shelves of supermarkets in Hong Kong were wiped empty with fresh bread, vegetables, meat and instant noodles while residents were preparing to bend down.

Hong Kong International Airport said it expected a “significant disruption in flight operations” from 6:00 p.m. local time (10:00 GMT) Tuesday until the next day.

More than 500 flights from Cathay Pacific should be canceled, while Hong Kong Airlines said it would cease all gaps in the city.

In the cities of southern China, the owners of stores stacked sandbags in front of their stores in preparation for the arrival of the storm, with residents in the low areas next to the seafront, particularly worried about the tidal overvoltages.

Many have also recorded the windows of their homes and businesses, hoping to prevent their destruction.

We do not yet know exactly how much climate change has specifically affected Ragasa. But a world of warming should make tropical storms such as typhoons and hurricanes more intense on average, according to UN scientists.

This means higher wind speeds, stronger precipitation and a higher risk of coastal floods, although the number of typhoons across East and Southeast Asia can decrease in the future.

While the island of Taiwan remained widely unscathed after Ragasa spent overnight, at least six people were injured and more than 100 international flights have canceled.

Ragasa also shot a distant island in the North of the Philippines on Monday, killing at least one person while thousands of families were evacuated before the storm.

Government schools and offices have been closed in major regions of the country, including in the capital Manila.

Super -Typhon Ragasa – equivalent to a category 5 hurricane – Wind gusts filled up to 285 km / h (177 MPH) from its highest view on Monday, and triggered flood warnings, storm overvoltages and landslides in the region this week.

Ragasa “would constitute a serious threat” against Hong Kong, said Eric Chan, chief secretary of the city administration, comparing him to two other typhoons who left severe destruction trails.

Super Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018 – to date the most intense typhoon to strike the city – injured 200 people, sunk for ships and destroyed infrastructure, the weather agency estimating economic losses of $ 4.6 billion HK ($ 592 million: 438 million pounds Sterling).

In 2017, Typhon Hato sparked serious floods and injured more than 100 people in the city.

With additional Kelly Ng reports to Singapore and Mark Poynting, Climate Reporter