By Thai Newsroom and Reuters – published by Yahoo!News
AFTER Super Typhoon Ragasa,, which is the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone so far this year, weakened into a depression upon making a landfall in Vietnam it is no longer heading for Thailand due to a cold air mass from China covering the country.
In the latest update on Ragasa, the Thai Meteorological Department said at 1 p.m. today the super typhoon had started weakening and by 4 p.m. it was centred at Bac Can, Vietnam, with maximum sustained winds near the centre approximately 55 km/h. It is moving westwards at 30 km/h and is expected to rapidly weaken into a low-pressure zone after that.
The weakened super storm was expected to move to Thailand either today or tomorrow (Sep. 25-26) unleashing torrential rain but the cold air mass from China spreading over Thailand is keeping it away.
Meanwhile Hong Kong and several coastal cities in China’s southern Guangdong province reopened businesses, transportation services and schools today after Ragasa lashed the region.
Ragasa brought the densely populated city to a standstill from Tuesday afternoon, after sweeping through the northern Philippines and Taiwan where it killed 14, before making landfall on the southern Chinese city of Yangjiang on Wednesday.
More than 100 people were injured in Hong Kong, where authorities imposed the highest typhoon signal 10 for most of Wednesday.
Hong Kong resumed flights out of its international airport on Thursday after a 36-hour suspension.
By Wednesday evening businesses and transport services were reopening in the neighbouring tech hub of Shenzhen, with cleaning teams clearing downed trees and branches from the roads.
Local media reported extensive flooding in multiple districts in the Chinese coastal city of Zhuhai.
Shopkeeper Yang Yanna was picking through soaked packaging for luxury brand alcohol, tea and cigarettes, estimating over 300,000 yuan ($42,100) of damage.
“I’ve been here for over ten years, and (the typhoons) have never been this intense,” Yang said.
“I thought the floodwater would be the height of these chairs, or a bit higher, no problem. But it rose higher than we expected.”
Nearby, a home goods seller named Nie tried to salvage sodden toothpaste boxes.
“Since the pandemic, it’s been extremely difficult to run a business,” Nie said. “Everything we do is at a loss… And now you come in and there’s nothing.”
Huge waves crashed over areas of Hong Kong’s eastern and southern shoreline on Wednesday, with widespread flooding submerging some roads and residential properties.
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Aftermath of Super Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong. Photos – Reuters and published by Yahoo!News
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