Southern China and Taiwan faced the wrath of Typhoon Ragasa on Wednesday as the powerful storm made landfall in Guangdong province, bringing with it fierce winds, torrential rain, and rough seas. The typhoon, which had already claimed at least 14 lives in Taiwan, struck Guangdong with wind speeds reaching up to 145 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour). AFP journalists in Yangjiang, one of the hardest-hit cities, reported scenes of chaos, with debris flying through the air and gusts tearing advertisements from buildings. Earlier, the storm had swept past Hong Kong, where it was classified as the strongest typhoon in the northwestern Pacific this year by the city’s weather service. In Taiwan, the typhoon caused a decades-old barrier lake to burst in Hualien county, resulting in 14 deaths and 46 injuries. Authorities initially reported 152 people missing but later confirmed contact with over 100 of them, leaving the actual number of missing individuals still unclear. Across mainland China, businesses and schools in at least 10 southern cities were ordered to shut down, affecting tens of millions of residents. In Guangdong alone, nearly 2.2 million people were relocated by Wednesday afternoon, according to state news agency Xinhua. The storm made landfall near Yangjiang city, where ferocious winds destroyed fences, uprooted trees, and left streets deserted. Rail travel across Guangdong was suspended, and fire trucks navigated flooded streets strewn with debris. Chinese authorities have allocated approximately $49.2 million to support rescue and relief efforts in the affected regions.