Super Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful tropical cyclone of 2025, has carved a path of destruction across several Asian countries in the past week, leaving communities reeling and authorities scrambling to respond. The storm achieved Category 5 intensity as it crossed northern Luzon in the Philippines, where nearly 700,000 residents were affected, and at least 10 fatalities reported due to floods and landslides. Taiwan felt Ragasa’s full fury as the typhoon’s outer bands lashed eastern regions, flooding towns after a barrier lake overflowed, resulting in at least 17 deaths and over 120 individuals still missing as of reporting.
After battering Hong Kong with hurricane-force winds, storm surges that flooded iconic hotels, and the city’s strongest typhoon warning in years, Ragasa continued its relentless advance toward mainland China. The densely populated Pearl River Delta is facing severe risk; nearly 1.9 million people in Guangdong province have been evacuated amidst forecasts of surges up to 2.8 meters and rainfalls exceeding 70 centimeters in some areas. Flights have been grounded, schools and offices shut, and infrastructure damage is extensive across southern China and Hong Kong.
The storm is now making landfall on China’s southern coast, threatening major cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Dongguan, which are home to roughly 50 million people. In Vietnam, civil defense authorities remain on high alert as Ragasa’s remnants are expected to bring heavy rains further west. As rescue and recovery operations unfold in the wake of Ragasa’s devastation, the unfolding situation continues to evolve, with missing persons and infrastructure losses still being assessed in the affected countries.
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(Source: Sky News | NASA Earth Observatory | SCMP | AP)
