AdvertisementAdvertisementResidents wade through a flooded area in Bulacan, Philippines on Sep 15, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Sta Rosa)21 Sep 2025 02:34PM (Updated: 21 Sep 2025 02:44PM) 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 MANILA: The Philippines and Taiwan ordered evacuations on Sunday (Sep 21) ahead of possible flooding and landslides as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached, gaining strength on its way to an eventual collision with southern China.The storm was undergoing "rapid intensification" and expected to make landfall on the sparsely populated Batanes or Babuyan islands by Tuesday afternoon, the Philippine weather agency said.Maximum sustained winds were 185 kilometres per hour at the storm's center as of 11am, with gusts reaching up to 230kmh as it moved westward toward the archipelago nation, the weather service said.Local officials "must waste no time in moving families out of danger zones", interior department Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a statement.In Taiwan, 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.Waves generated by Typhoon Podul crash along the coast in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Aug 13, 2025. (File Photo: AFP/I-Hwa Cheng)"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.Philippine weather specialist John Grender Almario told a Sunday press briefing that "severe flooding and landslides" were expected in northern areas of main island Luzon.FLOOD PROTESTS"We expect that the effects of the super typhoon will be felt beginning tonight," he said. "The strongest (effects) will be at 8am tomorrow."Strong winds and heavy rain are likely in other areas of Luzon, though Manila, where thousands turned out on Sunday to protest against fraudulent flood control projects, was expected to be largely spared.The growing corruption scandal, involving billions of dollars lost to incomplete or "ghost" flood control projects, has seen multiple lawmakers implicated and sparked national outrage.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.Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due, in part, to the effects of human-driven climate change.On Sunday, the Hong Kong Observatory said weather in the financial hub would "deteriorate gradually" on Tuesday and Wednesday, with gale-force winds and storm surge-driven sea levels similar to those seen in 2018's powerful Typhoon Mangkhut.Sabah landslide death toll climbs to 12 as expert warns of ‘new normal’ in Southeast AsiaTaiwan to evacuate hundreds as Typhoon Podul barrels towards southeastSource: AFP/iaNewsletterMorning 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...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST