AdvertisementEast AsiaResidents stock up on supplies at a supermarket to prepare for the approaching Super Typhoon Ragasa, in Hong Kong, China, on Sep 22, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Tyrone Siu)23 Sep 2025 06:59AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST HONG KONG: Hong Kong rushed to prepare for the arrival of Super Typhoon Ragasa on Tuesday (Sep 23), with officials warning of a "serious threat" comparable to some of the most destructive storms in the city's recent history.Ragasa was generating winds with maximum sustained speeds of 220kmh at its centre as it churned across the South China Sea early on Tuesday, having earlier lashed parts of the Philippines, according to Hong Kong's weather service.The finance centre was preparing for extensive disruption and damage, while nearby Chinese tech hub Shenzhen has ordered the evacuation of 400,000 people."Ragasa will pose a serious threat to Hong Kong, which could reach the levels of Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018," Hong Kong's number-two official Eric Chan said on Monday - referring to two super typhoons that each cost hundreds of millions in property damage.Hong Kong's airport will remain open but there will be "significant disruption to flight operations" from 6pm on Tuesday until the next day, the Airport Authority said.More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled.Hong Kong Observatory said it would issue its third-highest typhoon warning, T8, at 2.20pm on Tuesday, at which point businesses close up and most transport shuts down..Shop workers tape a glass window in preparation for Super Typhoon Ragasa at a store in Hong Kong, China, on Sep 22, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Tyrone Siu)"BETTER PRECAUTIONS"Residents scrambled to stock up ahead of Ragasa's arrival, leaving supermarket shelves empty of fresh food, vegetables and bread."There's bound to be some concern," said supermarket shopper Zhu Yifan, a 22-year-old student from China.Zoe Chan, in her fifties, piled up sandbags outside her clothes shop in the Wanchai district, saying she expected her business to be "ruined" by water damage."The most important thing is to take better precautions, so I can rest easier," Chan told AFP.School classes will be suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Hong Kong Jockey Club also cancelled Wednesday's horse-racing meet.Hong Kong's stock exchange changed its rules this year to keep markets open during typhoons, with the operator telling Bloomberg News that it was "closely monitoring" the situation.Authorities have told residents of low-lying areas to be alert to flooding while opening 46 temporary shelters.Ragasa - named after the Filipino word for rapid motion - will be closest to Hong Kong and nearby casino hub Macau on Wednesday morning, according to Chinese weather services.A woman takes a photograph of empty shelves as people rush to buy groceries at a supermarket in Shenzhen, southern China's Guangdong province, on Sep 22, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Adek Berry)SHENZHEN SHELVES BAREShelves of fresh meat and vegetables were mostly bare at a supermarket in Shenzhen's Bao'an District on Monday evening, AFP journalists saw.Checkout queues were long in the bustling store as people hurried around to pick up supplies.A supermarket employee told AFP that bread had already sold out by midday, adding, "It's not normally like this."Guangzhou's rail authority said all train services will be suspended on Wednesday, according to the South China Morning Post.Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to the effects of human-driven climate change.The Philippines earlier evacuated more than 10,000 people and closed schools and government offices across the country in response to the super typhoon.Source: AFP/rlNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...