{"id":24148,"date":"2025-09-23T10:03:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T10:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/?p=840224"},"modified":"2025-09-23T10:03:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T10:03:11","slug":"hong-kong-braces-for-fierce-winds-as-super-typhoon-nears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/2025\/09\/23\/hong-kong-braces-for-fierce-winds-as-super-typhoon-nears\/","title":{"rendered":"Hong Kong Braces for Fierce Winds as Super Typhoon Nears"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"nav nav-tabs tabs tabs-entry\">\n<li class=\"active\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/international\/2025\/09\/23\/840224.htm\">Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/international\/2025\/09\/23\/840224.htm?comments\" rel=\"nofollow\">0 Comments<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"article-content clearfix\">\n<p class=\"bloomberg\">Hong Kong is facing a night of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hko.gov.hk\/en\/wxinfo\/currwx\/tc_gis.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">destructive winds<\/a> and drenching rain as Super Typhoon Ragasa tracks toward the financial hub, potentially becoming the most damaging storm since Mangkhut in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>The typhoon is packing top sustained winds of 220 kilometers (137 miles) per hour, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which is equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhc.noaa.gov\/aboutsshws.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Saffir-Simpson scale<\/a>. The system was 340 kilometers southeast of the city as of 4 p.m. local time.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bzn bzn-sized bzn-intext\">\n<ins data-revive-zoneid=\"79\" data-revive-topics=\"catastrophe,natural-disasters\" data-revive-companies data-revive-block=\"1\" data-revive-id=\"36eb7c2bd3daa932a43cc2a8ffbed3a9\"><\/ins> <\/div>\n<p>Ragasa has caused major flight disruptions, and suspension of school classes and business activities across southern China after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/international\/2025\/09\/22\/839940.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">skirting northern Philippines on Monday<\/a>. The weather bureau has issued its third-highest storm warning, and is assessing the need to raise it further, potentially to the highest level.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-840227 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/storm-track-of-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-580x460.jpg\" alt width=\"580\" height=\"460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/storm-track-of-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-580x460.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/storm-track-of-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-300x238.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/storm-track-of-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-768x609.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/storm-track-of-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\"><\/p>\n<p>The current storm warning level in place is dubbed signal No. 8, while the most severe alert, known locally as a T10, means hurricane-force winds are present or expected. The weather will be \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hko.gov.hk\/en\/wxinfo\/currwx\/tc1.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">persistently adverse<\/a>\u201d on Wednesday, with gale- to storm-force winds prevailing, the Hong Kong Observatory said.<\/p>\n<p>Ragasa has forced some conferences and forums scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday online, including a gathering on fixed income and currencies, while several delegates have pulled out of an aviation conference. Loan bankers also rushed to get paperwork physically signed to keep deals moving along.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_840229\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-840229\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-840229\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sandbags-placed-in-hong-kong-in-preparation-for-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-580x387.jpg\" alt width=\"580\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sandbags-placed-in-hong-kong-in-preparation-for-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sandbags-placed-in-hong-kong-in-preparation-for-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sandbags-placed-in-hong-kong-in-preparation-for-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sandbags-placed-in-hong-kong-in-preparation-for-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sandbags-placed-in-hong-kong-in-preparation-for-typhoon-ragasa-bloomberg-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-840229\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sandbags placed near the waterfront in Tseung Kwan O district ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong on Sept. 23, 2025; photo credit: Lam Yik\/Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2018, Mangkhut brought damaging winds and record-breaking storm surges to Hong Kong, with the weather agency estimating it caused <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weather.gov.hk\/en\/publica\/tc\/tc2018\/table410.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">total economic losses<\/a> including insurance claims of HK$4.6 billion ($592 million). The city may see a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hko.gov.hk\/tc\/%E5%A4%A9%E6%B0%A3%E9%9A%A8%E7%AD%86\/109850\/%E7%B1%B3%E5%A8%9C%E9%81%A0%E9%9B%A2%EF%BC%8C%E6%A8%BA%E5%8A%A0%E6%B2%99%E6%8E%A5%E5%8A%9B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">similar storm surge<\/a> from Ragasa, according to forecasters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only thing that will stop this storm is land,\u201d the US Navy\u2019s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metoc.navy.mil\/jtwc\/products\/wp2425prog.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">earlier advisory<\/a>. Ragasa will slam Hong Kong with gale- to storm-force winds as the storm passes to the south of the city, it added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bzn bzn-sized bzn-intext-2\">\n<ins data-revive-zoneid=\"162\" data-revive-topics=\"catastrophe,natural-disasters\" data-revive-companies data-revive-block=\"1\" data-revive-id=\"36eb7c2bd3daa932a43cc2a8ffbed3a9\"><\/ins> <\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_840232\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-840232\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-840232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/flight-cancellations-at-hong-kong-international-airport-bloomberg-580x387.jpg\" alt width=\"580\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/flight-cancellations-at-hong-kong-international-airport-bloomberg-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/flight-cancellations-at-hong-kong-international-airport-bloomberg-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/flight-cancellations-at-hong-kong-international-airport-bloomberg-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/flight-cancellations-at-hong-kong-international-airport-bloomberg.jpg 929w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-840232\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An information panel showing flight cancellations at Hong Kong International Airport on Sept. 23, 2025; photo credit: Lam Yik\/Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Passenger flights in and out of Hong Kong will be suspended for 36 hours from 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Almost 50% of the 1,098 passenger and cargo flights due to depart and arrive at the airport today have already been axed, according to data compiled by Webb-site.com.<\/p>\n<p>Airports in Shenzhen and Macau will also close for an unspecified period, and all <a href=\"http:\/\/news.china.com.cn\/2025-09\/22\/content_118090997.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rail services<\/a> in China\u2019s Guangdong province will be suspended on Wednesday. Cities including Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Foshan \u2014 the country\u2019s \u201caluminum capital\u201d \u2014 also suspended classes and work.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_840228\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-840228\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-840228\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/workers-build-flood-barriers-at-hong-kong-restaurant-bloomberg-580x387.jpg\" alt width=\"580\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/workers-build-flood-barriers-at-hong-kong-restaurant-bloomberg-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/workers-build-flood-barriers-at-hong-kong-restaurant-bloomberg-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/workers-build-flood-barriers-at-hong-kong-restaurant-bloomberg-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/workers-build-flood-barriers-at-hong-kong-restaurant-bloomberg-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/workers-build-flood-barriers-at-hong-kong-restaurant-bloomberg-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-840228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers set up flood barriers at a restaurant in Tseung Kwan O district iin Hong Kong; photo credit: Lam Yik\/Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Across Hong Kong, businesses and residents are taking steps to prepare, with some grocery stores cleared of food items such as fresh vegetables. Many shop and apartment windows are also taped up with giant X\u2019s, a practice thought to protect against flying debris, but a measure the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aoml.noaa.gov\/hrd\/tcfaq\/C7.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">waste of time and tape<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In Taiwan, thousands of households lost power, and offices and schools were closed in some southern cities, while nearly 25,000 people were evacuated across the Philippines\u2019 main Luzon island. Ragasa skirted the northern part of the archipelago and is now churning in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n<p>The storm is expected to track toward Vietnam after clipping southern China, and the Southeast Asian nation has put more than <a href=\"https:\/\/baochinhphu.vn\/hon-300000-can-bo-chien-si-dan-quan-tu-ve-8000-phuong-tien-san-sang-ung-pho-sieu-bao-ragasa-102250922192339258.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">300,000 military personnel<\/a>, 8,000 vehicles and six aircraft on standby for the cyclone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"copyright-notice quiet\">Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagtag\"> <span class=\"tagtag\">Topics<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/catastrophe\/\" class=\"btn btn-sm btn-primary tagtag\">Catastrophe<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/natural-disasters\/\" class=\"btn btn-sm btn-primary tagtag\">Natural Disasters<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll\" data-post=\"840224\">\n<div class=\"article-poll-vote\">\n<p>Was this article valuable?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll-feedback voted-no\">\n<form class=\"feedback-form\">\n<p>Thank you! 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