Streets in Macao turned into streams with various debris floating on the water as Super Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest in years, battered the Chinese casino hub, forcing the closure of shops and schools and the cancellation of flights.

Hundreds of people sought refuge in temporary centers as rescue crews deployed inflatable boats to save those who were trapped.

The gambling city's local electricity supplier suspended its power supply in some flooded, low-lying areas for safety.

There were similar scenes in nearby Hong Kong, where the city's observatory said Ragasa, with maximum sustained winds near the center of about 195 kph (120 mph), skirted around 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the south of the financial hub.

It was forecast to continuing moving west or west-northwest at about 22 kph (about 14 mph).

The city categorizes cyclones with sustained winds 185 kph or stronger as super typhoons to make residents extra vigilant about intense storms.

Ragasa halted life on the southern Chinese coast early Wednesday after leaving deadly destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines.