Evacuees in the Philippines and Taiwan Take Shelter as Super Typhoon Approaches

Hundreds of families sought refuge in schools and evacuation centres on Monday as Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan with heavy rains and gale-force winds.

The typhoon, gaining strength as it moves on a collision course with southern China, was expected to make landfall over the Babuyan Islands of the Philippines around midday.

These sparsely populated islands lie approximately 740 kilometres (460 miles) south of Taiwan in the Luzon Strait.

As of 8:00 am (0000 GMT), the Philippine national weather service reported:

• Maximum sustained winds: 215 km/h
• Wind gusts: up to 265 km/h

“We are now experiencing strong winds here in northern Cagayan,” said provincial disaster chief Rueli Rapsing.
“Since the super typhoon will traverse Calayan, we are very focused on that area,” he added, referring to a town in the far north province.

In Taiwan, small-scale evacuations were underway in mountainous regions near Pingtung, according to local fire department officer James Wu.

“What worries us more is that the damage could be similar to what happened during Typhoon Koinu two years ago,” Wu said, recalling a storm that caused utility poles to collapse and sheet-metal roofs to fly into the air.

Preparations and Precautions

• Schools and government offices were closed on Monday in the Manila region and across 29 Philippine provinces.
• Government weather specialist John Grender Almario warned of severe flooding and landslides in the northern areas of the main island, Luzon.

The threat from Ragasa comes just a day after thousands of Filipinos protested over a growing corruption scandal involving flood control projects that were either poorly constructed or never completed.

• The protests, initially peaceful, turned violent in the afternoon and early evening.
• More than 70 people were arrested following clashes between rock-throwing protesters and police.

The Philippines is the first major landmass in the Pacific cyclone belt and is typically hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons annually.

• Millions of residents live in disaster-prone areas, often in persistent poverty.
• Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change, as warmer oceans and atmospheric conditions intensify typhoon activity.

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