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| Pagasa chart tracks Ragasa's progress |
Hong Kong today laid down its defenses against Super Typhoon Ragasa, with the government adopting emergency measures such as closing all schools for two days to avoid casualties and minimize damage, while many people bought up food and groceries, leaving display shelves bare at some stores,
Ragasa’s strongest winds are expected at 4am on Sept. 24 (Wednesday),
when it will be less than 200 kilometers south of Hong Kong, with maximum
sustained winds of 215 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 295 km/h,
and moving west worthwest at 25 km/h towards northern Vietnam.
Ragasa (known as Nando in the Philippines) made landfall early Monday in Calayan, Cagayan in the northern Philippines, and continued to pick up strength as it headed towards Babuyan islands in the northernmost tip of the province, where a rare typhoon signal no 5 has been raised.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
With its approach, the Hong Kong Observatory hoisted the Standby
Typhoon Signal No. 1 at 12.20pm today across the city, after earlier warning that thesuper typhoon
could be as destructive as Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018,
which caused massive flooding and extensive damage..
The Observatory said it expects to raise the warning
to Strong Wind Signal No. 3 at 9pm tonight, and to the Gale or Storm Signal
No. 8 between 1pm and 4pm tomorrow.
“The weather will be persistently adverse on Wednesday (24
September). Gale to storm force winds will prevail locally, and winds may reach
hurricane force offshore and on high ground. There will be frequent heavy
squally showers and thunderstorms. Seas will be very high with swells. Members
of the public are advised to stay away from the shoreline and not engage in
water sports,” it added.
Flights in and out of Chek Lap Kok will be reduced drastically
to a "small number of flights" for 36 hours starting tomorrow at 6pm,
the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said.
The Authority advised travelers to contact their airlines
directly to confirm their flight status and seating before heading to the airport.
Cathay Pacific is expected to cancel more than 500 flights from 6pm tomorrow, while Hong Kong
Airlines has canceled all flights scheduled between 6pm tomorrow and 6pm Thursday.
The preparations began yesterday with Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki meeting with
the steering committee on handling extreme weather to coordinate efforts to
address possible threats posed by Ragasa.
Among those that exoressed readiness were the Emergency
Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) under the Security Bureau which will
conduct real-time citywide monitoring, assess risks and formulate response
plans and measures.
Various emergency response teams, including the Fire
Services Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Civil Aid Service and the
Auxiliary Medical Service have completed preparatory work, with sufficient
manpower deployed.
The Development Bureau (DEVB) has stepped up measures to
co-ordinate preparedness to deal with flooding, landslides and fallen trees,
and ensure safety of building structures.
