The most powerful storm on Earth this year has transformed from a weather forecast into a humanitarian crisis, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes and grinding Asia's busiest airports to a standstill.
Super Typhoon Ragasa, packing devastating winds of 295 km/h, has already battered the northern Philippines and is now bearing down on Hong Kong and southern China with such ferocity that authorities are preparing for their largest evacuation operation in a decade, as it caused widespread disruption of everyday life.
