How Ragasa is sweeping tourism in Asia

Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, struck the southern Chinese city of Yangjiang yesterday, Wednesday, September 24, after killing 17 people in Taiwan and lashing Hong Kong with strong winds and heavy rains.

The typhoon is heading towards Maoming, one of China’s largest oil refining cities, in Guangdong province.

Typhoon Ragasa ravaged Southeast Asia, leaving a considerable loss of life and property.

After hitting the Philippines, it continued its destructive path through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, causing massive flooding, landslides, and extensive destruction.

In Hong Kong, where huge waves battered parts of the Asian financial center’s eastern and southern coastline, some roads and residential properties were submerged.

At the Fullerton Hotel, in the south of the island, videos shared on social media showed seawater seeping through glass doors.

A Tragic Human Toll

The typhoon’s passage resulted in a heavy human toll. Hundreds of thousands of people were directly affected, forcing governments to carry out large-scale evacuations.

The provisional death toll stands at several dozen.

Rescue operations are still underway to help populations cut off by the floods.

Infrastructure and economies destroyed

Strong winds and torrential rains have caused massive damage.

Many homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, and vital infrastructure such as bridges and roads were washed away, making the delivery of humanitarian aid extremely difficult.

Economically, the typhoon devastated local agriculture.

Rice and other crop harvests were completely submerged, wiping out the incomes of thousands of farmers.

Agricultural production in several regions was halted for months.

In short, Typhoon Ragasa highlighted Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Reconstruction promises to be long and difficult, requiring international mobilization to support the affected countries.