Super Typhoon Ragasa, one of the most powerful storms to hit Asia in recent years, left a trail of destruction across the region as it made landfall on China’s southern coast on September 24-25, 2025. With sustained winds reaching up to 165 miles per hour and gusts measured at 150 mph in some areas, Ragasa unleashed its fury on densely populated coastal cities, causing widespread flooding, blackouts, and forcing millions to evacuate.
According to ABC News, the typhoon flooded homes and streets, toppled trees, and knocked out power for nearly 500,000 people in China alone. But the impact of Ragasa extended far beyond the Chinese mainland, affecting Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, and the northern Philippines in a matter of days.
In Taiwan, the devastation was particularly acute. Torrential rain caused a barrier lake in Hualien County to overflow on September 23, sending muddy floodwaters surging through towns and destroying a bridge in Guangfu township. The resulting chaos left 17 people dead and 32 injured, as reported by state-run Xinhua and confirmed by AFP. More than half of Guangfu’s 8,450 residents managed to seek refuge on higher ground, while rescue teams conducted door-to-door checks to account for those still missing. The storm’s aftermath in Taiwan was described as catastrophic, with roads submerged and vehicles swept away by violent currents.
The northern Philippines also suffered tragic losses. At least 10 people died, including seven fishermen whose boat capsized off Santa Ana in northern Cagayan province on September 22, battered by massive waves and fierce winds. Five more fishermen remain missing, according to provincial officials cited by AFP. Nearly 700,000 people in the Philippines were affected by Ragasa’s onslaught, with 25,000 seeking shelter in government emergency facilities as homes were inundated and infrastructure damaged.
As Ragasa barreled toward the Chinese mainland, authorities responded with a massive evacuation effort. In Guangdong province, the country’s southern economic powerhouse, more than two million residents were relocated to safer areas, according to Xinhua. The storm made landfall along the coast of Hailing Island in Yangjiang city at about 5 p.m. on September 24, packing winds near the center of 89 mph, as reported by CCTV. The following day, train services were suspended in the Guangxi region as Ragasa continued its westward march, and Chinese officials allocated tens of millions of dollars toward disaster relief.
Southern China bore the brunt of Ragasa’s power, with blackouts, flooding, and widespread damage reported across the region. The South China Morning Post described how authorities scrambled to restore transport links and clear the thousands of trees toppled by the storm. In Yangjiang, local media reported that some residents lost electricity and water supplies, though services were largely restored by Thursday. Videos circulating online showed streets and restaurants still flooded, and more than 50,000 trees brought down in the city alone.
Despite the storm’s record strength, there were no confirmed typhoon-related fatalities in Guangdong province as of Thursday afternoon, according to provincial officials. Damage assessments were ongoing, with the immediate priority focused on restoring essential services and infrastructure.
Hong Kong and Macao faced their own set of challenges as Ragasa skirted the coast. Waves taller than lampposts crashed over Hong Kong’s promenades, flooding cycling lanes, playgrounds, and riverside areas. According to local reports, strong winds blew away parts of a pedestrian bridge’s roof, knocked down hundreds of trees, and sent a vessel crashing into the waterfront, shattering glass railings. Furniture was scattered chaotically at several promenade restaurants, and a viral video showed waves bursting through the doors of a hotel, flooding its lobby. Ninety people in Hong Kong were treated at hospitals for storm-related injuries.
Both cities took extensive precautions: schools and flights were canceled, many shops shuttered, and hundreds sought refuge in temporary shelters. In Macao, streets turned into streams littered with debris, prompting rescue crews to deploy inflatable boats to reach those trapped by the rising water. The local electricity supplier suspended power in some low-lying areas as a safety measure.
Hong Kong’s observatory reported that Ragasa had maximum sustained winds near the center of about 120 mph as it passed roughly 62 miles south of the city. The observatory classified Ragasa as the strongest tropical cyclone in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and South China Sea regions so far in 2025, tying for the second-strongest in the South China Sea since 1950, alongside Typhoons Saola (2023) and Yagi (2024). The city’s cyclone warning system, which designates storms with sustained winds of 115 mph or more as super typhoons, was activated to alert residents to the extraordinary danger.
Cleanup efforts began swiftly in southern China as the storm’s winds subsided. Workers in Yangjiang and other affected cities set about clearing fallen trees, repairing damaged infrastructure, and restoring transportation services. According to the South China Morning Post, the focus remained on ensuring the safety and well-being of those displaced by the storm while authorities continued to assess the full extent of the damage. Tens of millions of dollars in relief funds were released to support recovery and rebuilding efforts.
The sheer scale and intensity of Super Typhoon Ragasa have prompted renewed discussions about disaster preparedness and the vulnerability of coastal cities in the face of increasingly frequent and powerful storms. Ragasa’s impact—spanning multiple countries, with millions displaced, dozens dead or missing, and entire regions left without power—serves as a stark reminder of nature’s force and the importance of coordinated emergency response.
While the worst of the storm may have passed, the road to recovery will be long for communities from the Philippines to Taiwan and across southern China. As local residents return to their homes and businesses, the daunting task of rebuilding begins—one tree, one street, and one neighborhood at a time.