A New Zealander living in southern China says her workplace is shut, streets are quiet and authorities are clearing anything that could be taken away in winds as a super typhoon bears down.
At least one person died in a landslidecaused by Super Typhoon Ragasa hitting the northern Philippines.
The storm was being described as the strongest on the planet so far this year.
Schools and workplaces had closed, public transport was suspended and, in some cases, mass evacuations had already taken place in the Philippines and China.
While the region was no stranger to typhoons, she said it didn’t take long to realise this one was different.
Caetlind first found out about the typhoon when a fellow teacher mentioned it – shortly after, her school announced it was closing and sent everyone home with information about the impending typhoon.
“[The authorities] have recommended we stay at home. We have ordered enough food for the next two to three days – we have enough water,” she said.
People were told to stay indoors unless it was essential.
About an hour away in Shenzhen, Chinese authorities were planning to evacuate 400,000 people before Ragasa made landfall.
Caetlind said despite not having experienced a typhoon this strong before, she felt safe and well-informed, with her phone regularly receiving the latest developments.
She was planning to spend the time playing games, eating snacks and hanging out with her cats.
