Typhoon Ragasa Kills 14 in Taiwan as Hong Kong Faces Strong Winds

The authorities in China’s southern Guangdong Province have evacuated more than one million people, as Typhoon Ragasa continued its path of destruction, having already struck the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Chinese state media reported that more than 38,000 firefighters and 400 emergency teams were readied as Guangdong braced for a direct hit from Ragasa, the most powerful storm in the world so far this year.

The typhoon — which made its first landfall in the Philippines on Monday before heading back out to sea — slammed into Hong Kong early Wednesday, flooding coastal areas and lashing the city with pelting rain and powerful winds that toppled trees. It was expected to continue moving west on Wednesday, making a second landfall later in Guangdong.

The typhoon’s destructive path crossed the south of Taiwan on Tuesday, killing 14 people and leaving 118 people missing, as of Wednesday morning.