Typhoon Ragasa Wreaks Havoc in East Asia

Both China and Taiwan, two major East-Asian players in global politics, have no shortage of conflicts and international drama to deal with. Recently though, the source of their woes is natural. Typhoon Ragasa, the largest and most powerful tropical storm in the world this year, just hit their shores. 

Typhoon Ragasa emerged from an area of convection north of Yap, a funnily named Philippine island. Afterwards, it spread from the Philippines all the way to Taiwan. In the Philippines, Ragasa left at least three people dead and five others missing, displacing more than 17,500 people in flooding and landslides caused by the most powerful storm to hit Southeast Asia this year. This kind of damage has left Taiwan and China wary of the potential impacts Ragasa could have on their nations. In preparation, schools were closed in Hong Kong and the neighboring city of Macao. Other cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Foshan, and Haikou ordered cancellations and a gradual suspension of other businesses, production and transportation. China was largely more prepared than Taiwan, and that fact is observed in the cost both countries paid. Typhoon Ragasa has caused all-out crisis in Taiwan. Many went missing in Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county, after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town. This comes in addition to the dozens of people who are already confirmed as dead as a result of the typhoon. Even worse, the remote location of the overflow is making the response increasingly difficult. The flood could unfortunately expand even further. The overflow is now flooding nearby cities like Guangfu, and it's quickly making escape from the disaster nearly impossible. Fortunately though, rescuers managed to establish contact with more than 100 others who were previously unreachable in Hualien, and were going door-to-door to check on the remaining 17 residents. A total of 32 people were injured across the self-ruled island. So while the super typhoon has calmed down in recent days, its impact on East Asia won't be forgotten anytime soon. 

Read More: 

• Kanis Leung, AP

• Tiffany May, NYT

• Adolfo Arranz, Reuters