Super typhoon causes some damage as it blows past northern Philippines

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Thousands of people were evacuated from northern Philippine villages on Monday, and schools and offices were closed across the archipelago and neighboring Taiwan as one of the strongest typhoons this year threatened to cause flooding and landslides as it headed toward southeastern China.

According to the Associated Press, Super Typhoon Ragasa had sustained winds of 215 kph with gusts of up to 295 kph when it hit Panuitan Island near Cagayan province midday Monday, Philippine weather forecasters said.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185 kph or higher are classified in the Philippines as super typhoons, a designation adopted years ago to emphasize the urgency associated with such extreme weather events.

Ragasa was heading west and was forecast to remain in the South China Sea until at least Wednesday, passing south of Taiwan and Hong Kong before making landfall in mainland China.

The Philippine Meteorological Agency warned of coastal flooding, saying “there is a high risk of life-threatening storm surge with a peak height of more than 3 meters within the next 24 hours over low-lying or exposed coastal areas” in the northern provinces of Cagayan, Batanes, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Disaster officials said power was out on Kalayaan Island and the entire northern mountainous province of Apayao, west of Cagayan.

There were no reports of casualties or further damage from Ragasa, which locals call Nando.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday suspended government operations and all classes in the capital and 29 provinces in the main northern Luzon region.

More than 8,200 people were evacuated to safety in Cagayan, while 1,220 people fled to emergency shelters in Apayao, which is prone to flash floods and landslides.

Domestic flights were suspended in northern provinces hit by the typhoon, and fishing boats and inter-island ferries were barred from leaving ports due to rough seas.