HONG KONG (Reuters) -Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, lashed Hong Kong with hurricane-force winds and torrential rain on Wednesday as the city shut down and more than 700 flights were cancelled.
The typhoon sparked panic buying this week, with people piling into supermarkets, leaving little on the shelves and in some cases queuing for hours to purchase goods amid fears that shops could be closed for two days.
As the typhoon approached, residents across the city taped their windows in the hope of minisiming any danger from shattered glass.
Packing hurricane-force winds of up to 200 kph (124 mph), Ragasa will be closest to Hong Kong early Wednesday morning, skirting around 100 km to the south of the territory.
Hong Kong issued the typhoon signal 10, its highest, late on Tuesday, which urges most businesses and transport services to shut down.
“Seas will be phenomenal with swells. There will be overtopping waves over the shoreline, which will be particularly significant along the eastern and southern coasts,” the observatory said.
Authorities have warned of rising sea levels, saying they could be similar to those seen during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, both of which caused billions of dollars in damage.
The observatory said water levels have started to rise due to a significant storm surge and will reach a maximum of around four metres (13 feet) around noon (0400 GMT).
The financial hub has already opened 49 temporary shelters in various districts and 727 people have sought refuge at the shelters.
Hong Kong’s Stock Exchange will remain open. It changed its policy late last year to continue trading whatever the weather.
Ragasa will maintain super typhoon intensity as it edges closer to the coast of Guangdong, mainland China and Taiwan, after sweeping through the northern Philippines on Monday. It is expected to make landfall along Guangdong’s coast from midday to late Wednesday.
Guangdong authorities evacuated over 770,000 people, state broadcaster CCTV said.
In the gambling hub of Macau next to Hong Kong, authorities issued the No. 10 warning signal at 5.30 a.m.
(Reporting by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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