The sound of rush hour in Zhuhai on China's southern coast has been replaced by howling winds and sheets of rain. Branches from falling trees and what looked like pieces of metal from the edge of a building flew along empty roads on Wednesday as typhoon Ragasa bore down. Police vehicles have been patrolling the streets with megaphones, urging people to stay inside - but it is difficult to hear them above gusts of 100mph (160km/h) winds. Still, the thundering skies and a drenched Zhuhai are enough of a warning – apart from an occasional cyclist, determined to get to work, most people heeded the advice, bringing this city of almost three million people to a standstill.
The strongest storm the world has seen this year, Ragasa has been making its way across the South China Sea after battering the Philippines and Taiwan. At least 15 people have died in eastern Taiwan after a mountain lake burst its banks, officials have said. As the storm brushed past Hong Kong, steep waves crashed into land, inundating coastal areas, alongside powerful winds and rain, leaving more than 60 people injured.
It made landfall in China this evening at 17:00 local time (09:00 GMT). By then nearly two million people in densely populated Guangdong province, home to Zhuhai, had already been evacuated. Officials have also issued a red alert for high tides and coastal surges. As the eye of the storm barrelled close to the mainland, the rain lashed the city's tall buildings. The wind, already strong, hit harder in waves and blasts, which made standing upright almost impossible.
Zhuhai is a popular tourist spot, with golf resorts and theme parks. Perched on a delta where the Pearl River meets the South China Sea, it is used to typhoons, and it was prepared for this one. Householders have been taping up their windows, as businesses had sandbags delivered to put at their doorways to prevent coastal surges seeping into their properties. There has been no panic, just resignation. Local workers were quickly dispatched to cut down stray branches from trees. Authorities in China have had plenty of practice at preparing for disasters. They take the warnings very seriously. They fear criticism for not doing enough to keep people safe.
This has been a year of extreme weather for China – heatwaves, storms, droughts, floods, and ruined harvests. Typhoon Ragasa has been yet another test of China's preparedness. And it's not over yet. There are still alerts for heavy rain in the next few days and warnings of landslides in mountainous areas.
The strongest storm the world has seen this year, Ragasa has been making its way across the South China Sea after battering the Philippines and Taiwan. At least 15 people have died in eastern Taiwan after a mountain lake burst its banks, officials have said. As the storm brushed past Hong Kong, steep waves crashed into land, inundating coastal areas, alongside powerful winds and rain, leaving more than 60 people injured.
It made landfall in China this evening at 17:00 local time (09:00 GMT). By then nearly two million people in densely populated Guangdong province, home to Zhuhai, had already been evacuated. Officials have also issued a red alert for high tides and coastal surges. As the eye of the storm barrelled close to the mainland, the rain lashed the city's tall buildings. The wind, already strong, hit harder in waves and blasts, which made standing upright almost impossible.
Zhuhai is a popular tourist spot, with golf resorts and theme parks. Perched on a delta where the Pearl River meets the South China Sea, it is used to typhoons, and it was prepared for this one. Householders have been taping up their windows, as businesses had sandbags delivered to put at their doorways to prevent coastal surges seeping into their properties. There has been no panic, just resignation. Local workers were quickly dispatched to cut down stray branches from trees. Authorities in China have had plenty of practice at preparing for disasters. They take the warnings very seriously. They fear criticism for not doing enough to keep people safe.
This has been a year of extreme weather for China – heatwaves, storms, droughts, floods, and ruined harvests. Typhoon Ragasa has been yet another test of China's preparedness. And it's not over yet. There are still alerts for heavy rain in the next few days and warnings of landslides in mountainous areas.
