Hong Kong is bracing for hurricane force winds from Super Typhoon Ragasa as southern China prepares for heavy flooding.A super typhoon that caused thousands of people to evacuate from northern Philippine villages is now making its way towards Hong Kong, the southern parts of mainland China, and Taiwan, where people are preparing for more extreme weather.In Hong Kong, officials warned of a “serious threat” from Super Typhoon Ragasa, comparing the risk with some of the most destructive storms in the city’s recent history.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“Ragasa will pose a serious threat to Hong Kong, which could reach the levels of Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018,” Hong Kong’s number-two official Eric Chan said on Monday, referring to two super typhoons that each caused significant damage.Ragasa was generating winds with maximum sustained speeds of 220 kilometres per hour (137 mph) at its centre as it churned across the South China Sea early on Tuesday, according to Hong Kong’s weather service.Hong Kong’s airport will remain open, but there will be “significant disruption to flight operations” from 6pm (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday until the next day, the airport authority said.More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled.In Taiwan, the state weather service predicted “extremely torrential rain” in the country’s east.“Its storm radius is quite large, about 320 [kilometres, or 199 miles]. Although the typhoon’s centre is still some distance away, its wide, …
