China Shuts Down Cities, Evacuates Residents as Super Typhoon Ragasa Nears Guangdong

China has ordered the closure of schools and businesses in at least 10 cities as Super Typhoon Ragasa bears down on the country’s southern coast. The emergency measures, announced on Tuesday, will affect tens of millions of residents and disrupt operations at thousands of factories in one of China’s key manufacturing hubs.

According to the Guangdong emergency management bureau, Ragasa is expected to make landfall in the province’s central and western coastal areas within 24 hours. Authorities have activated the highest windstorm emergency alert, warning of gusts reaching up to 230 kilometres per hour (140 mph). Shenzhen, a major technology hub, has begun evacuating 400,000 people and cautioned residents to expect “severe wind, rain, waves, and floods.” Work and market activities in the city have also been suspended.

Other cities including Zhuhai, Dongguan, and Foshan have taken similar precautions. Foshan’s emergency headquarters warned that the typhoon poses “a critical defence situation” as heavy rains and strong winds threaten lives and property. Authorities have urged residents to remain indoors except for essential and rescue operations.

Ragasa, currently moving across the South China Sea, had earlier battered parts of the Philippines, leaving one person dead. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also issued maritime safety alerts for vessels in the Taiwan Strait, Bashi Channel, and Guangdong’s nearshore waters. Experts warn that the intensifying frequency and strength of storms like Ragasa are linked to the worsening effects of human-driven climate change.