What are the impacts of Typhoon Ragasa in Taiwan?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The typhoon resulted in 14 deaths and 18 injuries in Taiwan.
- Approximately 100 individuals are still awaiting rescue.
- Heavy rainfall caused flooding in Hualien County.
- China issued alerts and suspended classes and operations in Guangdong Province.
- Typhoon Ragasa is predicted to make landfall soon.
Taipei, Sep 24 (NationPress) Typhoon Ragasa has resulted in 14 fatalities and 18 injuries in Taiwan by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, according to local officials.
Approximately 100 individuals are still trapped and waiting for rescue, as reported by the island's emergency operation center.
The typhoon's outer bands are relentlessly striking Taiwan’s eastern, northern, and southern coastal regions, leading to significant downpours. On Tuesday afternoon, a dam at a barrier lake in Hualien County overflowed, causing flooding, as per Xinhua news agency.
Various nations have issued warnings regarding the approach of Typhoon Ragasa.
In Guangdong Province, China, classes, production activities, public transport, and business operations were halted as the storm drew near.
According to the flood, drought, and typhoon control headquarters in Zhanjiang City, schools suspended classes around 3 p.m. Tuesday as a precaution. Starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, work, production, public transport, and business operations across Zhanjiang will also be paused.
Local officials emphasized that departments responsible for water, power, gas, communications, medical care, and emergency response will remain functional, while all other activities that may pose safety risks should cease due to the typhoon.
Typhoon Ragasa, identified as the 18th typhoon of the year, entered the South China Sea late Monday and was located approximately 170 km southeast of Yangjiang City by 10 a.m. Wednesday. The storm is expected to move northwest at 20 km/h and is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday evening along the coastline between Yangjiang and Zhanjiang.
China's National Meteorological Centre has issued an orange alert, the second-highest level in China's four-tier weather warning system, as the typhoon is predicted to bring severe rain and strong winds.
The super typhoon also passed within 100 km of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), causing gales and heavy rainfall, according to Macao's meteorological bureau, which raised the No. 10 tropical cyclone signal at 5:30 a.m. local time.
The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau mentioned that wind speeds in Macao have reached hurricane-force level 12 and are expected to persist for the next few hours, thus maintaining the top-level typhoon signal for an extended period.