Super Typhoon Ragasa, dubbed the "King of Storms" by China’s meteorological agency and the most powerful storm of 2025, has left a trail of destruction across Asia, forcing mass evacuations, causing flight chaos, and igniting a political firestorm in the Philippines. With wind speeds peaking at 285 kilometers per hour (177 mph) and sustained gusts still exceeding 200 km/h (124 mph) as it churns through the South China Sea, Ragasa is now bearing down on Hong Kong, southern China, and Taiwan after devastating the northern Philippines.
In the Philippines, Ragasa—known locally as Nando—struck northern villages on September 21, unleashing floods and landslides that killed at least three people and left five missing, according to disaster-response officials cited by Al Jazeera. Over 8,200 residents were evacuated from Cagayan province, while 1,220 sought refuge in emergency shelters in Apayao, a region notoriously prone to flash floods and landslides. Power outages swept across Calayan Island and the entire Apayao province as wind gusts reached a staggering 295 km/h (183 mph). Domestic flights were grounded, and fishing boats and ferries were ordered to stay in port due to rough seas.
The storm’s timing couldn’t have been more fraught. Just as Ragasa battered Luzon, thousands of Filipinos took to the streets to protest a massive corruption scandal involving an estimated 118.5 billion pesos (about $2 billion) in alleged kickbacks and non-existent flood control projects. The scandal, which has engulfed officials, engineers, contractors, and politicians, has stoked outrage in a nation where typhoons are a grim annual reality and effective flood management can mean the difference between life and death. As reported by Getty Images and Al Jazeera, the protests erupted on September 21, with demonstrators demanding accountability as the typhoon exposed the dire consequences of failed infrastructure.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. responded by suspending government work and classes in Manila and 29 provinces across northern Luzon on September 22. Despite the storm’s ferocity, many Filipinos voiced anger over what they see as a deadly intersection of natural disaster and human negligence. One local official, Herbert Singun, described the havoc on Calayan Island: "Can you see those coconut trees swaying in the distance? There were eight of them before. Now only four are still standing. That goes to show how strong this typhoon is." According to the AFP, a school roof was torn off and flung onto an evacuation center, injuring one person but miraculously avoiding greater tragedy.
Scientists, as noted by Al Jazeera and the United Nations, have long warned that climate change is making tropical storms like Ragasa more intense, with stronger winds and heavier rainfall leading to increased flooding and landslides. This year alone, Ragasa marks the 14th weather disturbance to hit the Philippines, a stark reminder of the region’s vulnerability.
As Ragasa moved westward, its wrath shifted toward Hong Kong, Taiwan, and southern China. On September 23, the Hong Kong Observatory reported that the storm, slightly weakened but still formidable, was packing sustained winds of 205 km/h (127 mph)—the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale—and was located just 290 kilometers southeast of the city by 7 p.m. local time. Hong Kong’s number-two official, Eric Chan, warned that Ragasa “will pose a serious threat to Hong Kong, which could reach the levels of Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018,” referencing two of the most devastating typhoons in the city’s recent memory.
Residents of Hong Kong braced for impact. The city’s weather forecasters predicted that conditions would “rapidly deteriorate” late on September 23, with the typhoon warning signal raised to level 8—just two notches below the maximum. This level of alert means most businesses and public transportation will shut down, and citizens have been urged to stockpile supplies and stay indoors. Laura Westbrook, reporting for Al Jazeera, described how “people have been preparing for this typhoon. I was talking to some residents earlier, they’ve been stockpiling food, trying to make sure they have enough supplies for the next two days as this city shuts down.”
The storm’s immense size, with a radius of about 320 kilometers (200 miles), has already begun to affect Taiwan, where the state weather service forecast “extremely torrential rain” for the island’s east. Meanwhile, in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese tech hub, authorities planned to evacuate around 400,000 people from low-lying and flood-prone neighborhoods. Shenzhen’s airport halted all flights starting the night of September 23, and the entire Guangdong province was placed under a level 1 emergency alert, the highest possible in China’s four-tier system.
Travel chaos has ensued across the region. Hong Kong International Airport announced “significant disruption” to flight operations from 6 p.m. on September 23, with over 700 flights likely to be cancelled through September 25. Cathay Pacific alone has cancelled more than 500 flights, while its budget arm HK Express axed an additional 100. Hong Kong Airlines cancelled over 100 flights, and other international carriers—including Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France, and Finnair—scrambled to adjust their schedules. All flights to and from Shenzhen International Airport were suspended from 8 p.m. on September 23 until at least the morning of September 25. Macau International Airport, too, slashed operations, with virtually no flights scheduled for September 24.
Passengers have been urged to check their flight status before heading to airports, as tens of thousands have already been stranded. Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines have waived rebooking, rerouting, and refund fees for affected travelers, and in-town check-in facilities have been shuttered. The Hong Kong Airport Authority cautioned, “Due to inclement weather conditions, passengers are advised to contact the airline for the latest flight information or check with the airport’s website before departing for the airport. The public transport services to and from the airport may also be affected. Passengers are advised to allow sufficient travel time to and from the airport.”
Looking ahead, China’s National Meteorological Centre forecasts that Ragasa will make landfall between Zhuhai and Zhanjiang in Guangdong province on the afternoon of September 24. The storm’s outer bands are expected to batter Hong Kong before the eye comes ashore, with authorities warning of floods, storm surges, and landslides across the region.
As Asia faces another night of uncertainty and howling winds, Ragasa’s legacy is already clear: a stark reminder of nature’s fury, the human cost of corruption and poor preparedness, and the mounting challenges posed by a changing climate. For millions in its path, the coming days will test resilience, resolve, and the hope that lessons—however hard-won—will not be forgotten.