Typhoon Ragasa bore down on Wednesday, sending branches from downed trees and what appeared to be bits of metal from a building’s edge flying along deserted roadways.
Police cars have been using megaphones to warn residents to stay inside as they patrol the streets, but it is hard to hear them over wind gusts of up to 100 mph (160 km/h). Aside from the odd biker who was adamant about getting to work, most people followed the advise, which brought this almost three million-person city to a complete halt. Nevertheless, the thundering clouds and a soaked Zhuhai are plenty warning.
After pounding Taiwan and the Philippines, Ragasa, the strongest storm the world has seen this year, has been moving across the South China Sea.