The studio froze. The feed shifted. And in that split second, the tone of the broadcast changed — from morning banter to national urgency. What followed wasn’t scripted. It was raw, real, and rattling

Good Morning Britain interrupted its scheduled programming this morning with breaking news as a devastating super typhoon approaches Hong Kong and southern China.

Approximately 400,000 residents have been moved from vulnerable coastal areas in preparation for Typhoon Ragasa’s arrival, a Category 5 storm already being hailed as this year’s “most powerful”.

Officials have issued alerts warning of “catastrophic” winds, severe flooding and dangerous storm surges, with Hong Kong preparing for potentially unprecedented levels of rainfall.

Educational institutions and commercial premises have shut down, aircraft have been grounded, and the public has been advised to remain indoors.

The tempest is anticipated to devastate the Pearl River Delta, amongst the globe’s most heavily populated areas, reports the Express.

Temporary accommodation centres have been established, whilst China’s emergency response units remain on alert.

While Susanna Reid, Richard Madeley and Charlotte Hawkins were in the Good Morning Britain studio, broadcasting from Hong Kong, correspondent Laura Westbrook reported: “Schools have been suspended today and hundreds of flights have been cancelled.

“There has been flooding in some areas and people have been warned to stay away from shorelines. At least 14 people have been killed.

“This storm is starting to make its impact felt on mainline China. People are being told to stay at home.”

Westbrook delivered her report from streets that would typically be teeming with activity but now stand eerily empty, as authorities caution that conditions will deteriorate further over the coming day.

With winds reaching over 150mph, Typhoon Ragasa has the potential to wreak widespread havoc.

Weather experts suggest that the full extent of the catastrophe will only be revealed once the storm moves inland.

As of last night, more than 1.89 million individuals have been evacuated in Guangdong province, and residents of Hualien, Taiwan, where a lake overflowed its banks, said they were taken aback by the rapidity of the floods, despite some residents being evacuated beforehand.

“We found out from the internet that some nearby areas had been flooded, so we were moving our important belongings to the second floor,” one resident informed the BBC.

“Then we tried to get to our car and drive away from the scene but it was too late. It was like a river outside and cars were floating in the water. Everything started drifting,” stated the 42-year-old book shop owner.