It's especially windy: how Super Typhoon Ragasa paralyzed life in southern China

Super typhoon Ragasa has struck the southern coast of China, and is now moving towards northern Vietnam and the island of Hainan, where thousands of Russian tourists are vacationing. On September 24, almost 2 million people were evacuated in the southern megacities of China, and life practically froze: transport, shopping malls, casinos, and food delivery stopped working, and classes were canceled at schools and universities, local residents told Izvestia. However, due to the well-established SMS notification system, the situation remains calm, and the strong wind could not cause serious damage to the cities. Tourists from Russia are also in no hurry to leave the country, realizing that the weather will improve in a couple of days. About how a super typhoon was encountered in China and other countries of the region — in the Izvestia article.

What do the locals say about the typhoon?

The powerful typhoon Ragasa, which formed last week over the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, is racing along the southern coast of China. On September 21, it intensified and turned into a super typhoon, after which it struck Taiwan with devastating force. Due to heavy rains, flooding began in one of the settlements on the island, killing at least 14 people. Another 124 people are missing.

Footage released by the local fire department shows flooded streets, cars, and uprooted trees. Experts have already recognized the typhoon as the strongest storm on the planet this year. Gusty winds reached speeds of 168 km/h. But after he came ashore, his intensity subsided. However, it will cause inconvenience to local residents for several more days, forecaster and head of the Meteo forecasting center Alexander Shuvalov told Izvestia.

— This typhoon is very active, very dangerous, with wind gusts up to 50-55 meters per second and a lot of precipitation. Today it will hit Hong Kong, then it will go further along the coast and to the north of Vietnam. It will remain in the typhoon format for two more days, and then it will turn into a cyclone with a lot of precipitation," the expert said.

On the night of September 24, Hong Kong was hit. Due to heavy rains in the metropolis, for example, the lobby of the Ocean Park hotel was flooded. The footage shows how powerful streams of water burst into the lower floors of the building. Staff and guests were evacuated, but no injuries were reported. In total, almost 2 million people were evacuated from the southern cities of China.

At the moment, a typhoon that provokes the appearance of huge waves is raging in Guangdong Province, where the major cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou are located. According to local residents, despite the frightening news, the disaster did not cause much damage.

— In general, the situation is stable, except that it rains for days and a very strong wind blows bicycles, mopeds and iron structures on the streets. At the same time, there is no serious damage in the city," Nikolai Marchenko, a Sinologist and director of the Autonomous Non—Profit Organization Eurasian Youth Projects, told Izvestia from the words of Shenzhen residents.

Almost all shopping malls and public places in Shenzhen and Guangzhou are closed on September 24. Since the evening of September 23, all public transport has stopped working, so life has practically come to a standstill. Residents prefer to stay at home.

On the eve of the typhoon's arrival, local residents rushed to buy groceries in stores, which quickly caused shelves to empty, one of the teachers at Shenzhen University told Izvestia.

— In grocery stores, indeed, many shelves were empty, as students massively bought up all the products. Instant noodles were in high demand, which is now almost gone. This is due to the fact that food delivery services stopped working during the restrictions," the source told Izvestia.

The students' classes were canceled. At the same time, it is expected that on Thursday, September 25, studies will resume, the teacher explained.

— My city is safe now. Studies and work have already resumed in a number of other cities in Guangdong Province. The typhoon is almost over," a resident of Heyuan City told Izvestia.

The situation in Macau is also improving. But for now, locals who have previously bought food prefer to stay at home. Earlier it became known that since September 22, the Macau authorities have closed the Grand Lisboa Hotel, which houses one of the largest casinos in the area.

For residents of Guangdong Province, this is the second test in the last month — typhoon Kajiki literally hit them on August 24.

How the typhoon affected Russian tourism

On average, Southeast Asia experiences 10-15 typhoons per season, so both authorities and tourists are usually prepared for natural disasters.

— A typhoon is a completely common phenomenon in the eastern regions of our country and neighboring countries around the second half of summer. It's typhoon season. It's just that they are very strong this year," Alla Verchenko, senior researcher at the Center for the Study of the Modern History of China and its Relations with Russia, explained to Izvestia. — Usually, the services that notify of their approach exaggerate the force so that the population, if anything, does not suffer. TV channels draw detailed diagrams of the typhoon's progress and how it changes direction. That is, the population is constantly informed about what is happening.

Forecasters predict that on September 24-25, the typhoon will hit Hainan Island, where many Russian tourists usually rest. The Russian Embassy in China warned Russians about his approach and recommended taking precautions by reviewing travel routes. Tourists were also asked not to go outside during the storm, prepare water, food and chargers in advance, monitor government reports and clarify the location of the nearest shelters.

This was also stated at the Russian Embassy in Vietnam. "If necessary, the embassy is ready to assist in ensuring security, including coordinating possible evacuation from risk areas together with the Vietnamese authorities," the diplomatic mission told Izvestia.

According to local authorities and meteorological services, due to the approach of typhoon Ragasa, there is a possibility of heavy precipitation, squally winds and disruption of transport links in the coastal areas of Vietnam. "In this regard, Russian citizens located in areas of possible exposure to the elements are advised to exercise increased caution, refrain from traveling to coastal areas and strictly follow the instructions of local authorities," the Russian embassy said.

However, the activity of the super typhoon did not affect the interest of Russian tourists in traveling to China, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), told Izvestia. There are no problems with traveling to Vietnam yet.

— We are in touch with our host companies and are closely monitoring information from our foreign institutions. Now we do not record any requests from tourists, we do not record a decrease in popularity, we do not record a desire to return trips. The situation is calm," he explained.

At the moment, there is only one warning about flight adjustments at Hong Kong Airport. In other cities, the flight schedule remained unchanged. As a rule, in 1-2 days all the consequences of the disaster are eliminated, and resorts continue to operate as usual, tour operators reassure.

Typhoon Ragasa is unlikely to significantly affect life in China, since the response schemes have long been fine—tuned, and the population has already become accustomed to such disasters, Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, head of the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

— I lived in Guangzhou myself, and when typhoons approach, they inform the population in every house, SMS notification is set up. This is quite an ordinary situation," she stressed.

After the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese authorities began to respond proactively to all possible natural disasters and potential threats, so there is no panic among either the Chinese or tourists, the expert concluded.