China cancels schools and flights as it braces for Super Typhoon Ragasa

Southern Chinese cities scaled back many aspects of daily life on Tuesday with school and business closures and flight cancellations as the region braced for one of the strongest typhoons in years.

HONG KONG — Southern Chinese cities scaled back many aspects of daily life on Tuesday with school and business closures and flight cancellations as the region braced for one of the strongest typhoons in years that has already killed three people and led to the displacement of thousands of others in the Philippines.

Residents living in flood-prone areas put sandbags and barriers at their doors, while others taped windows and glass doors to brace for strong winds. Many people stockpiled food and other supplies on Monday, and some market vendors reported their goods were selling out fast.

Hong Kong’s observatory said Super Typhoon Ragasa, which was packing maximum sustained winds near the center of about 137 mph, is expected to move west-northwest at about 14 mph across the northern part of the South China Sea and edge closer to the coast of Guangdong province, the southern Chinese economic powerhouse.

China’s National Meteorological Center forecast the typhoon would make landfall in the coastal area between Zhuhai and Zhanjiang cities in Guangdong between midday and evening on Wednesday.

The observatory in Hong Kong issued storm warning signal No. 8, the third-highest in the city’s weather alert system, on Tuesday afternoon. It recorded wind speeds of 84 mph near the ground at a distance of about 75 miles from the typhoon’s center, indicating a wide coverage of hurricane force.