Super Typhoon Ragasa may have been the biggest storm of its kind in the world this year, but when it made landfall in mainland China last month, it left no fatalities in its wake.
Rewind to 2018 when Mangkhut, the last super typhoon to hit Guangdong province, struck and at least four people were killed in southern China. Typhoon Hato also left nine dead in Guangdong in 2017, and Typhoon Fanapi caused 34 deaths in the coastal province in 2010.
The contrast is even sharper when compared with the magnitude-8.0 earthquake that struck Sichuan 17 years ago, killing tens of thousands and destroying entire communities. Shoddily built schools killed children in their classrooms – at least 280 students and teachers died at Juyuan Middle School alone.
The zero death toll from Ragasa was in large part down to preparation – the southern tech hub of Shenzhen spent days battening down for the storm, including opening some 865 temporary shelters.
Throughout the province, authorities also evacuated more than 1 million people and deployed more than 38,000 firefighters and rescue personnel in preparation.
In addition, residents stockpiled essentials and local governments checked trees and underground passageways, construction sites and mountainous regions for safety hazards.
