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Heavy rains lashed out at Mauritius on Monday (20, February) as intense tropical storm Freddy neared the country, leading to closure of many businesses and disruption of public life. The Mauritius Meteorological Services said the cyclone had passed at its closest distance from the island at about 120 km to the north of Grand Bay
Heavy rains lashed out at Mauritius on Monday (20, February) as intense tropical storm Freddy neared the country, leading to closure of many businesses and disruption of public life. The Mauritius Meteorological Services said the cyclone had passed at its closest distance from the island at about 120 km to the north of Grand Bay.
Cyclone Freddy is expected to reach Madagascar today (Tuesday) evening and later to move towards Mozambique, possibly by the end of the week. The tropical cyclone is expected to be accompanied by torrential rains, bringing turbulent winds. The regional weather observatory on the island of Reunion said that Freddy was currently rushing across the ocean with an average wind speed of 205 km. (127 miles) per hour.
It is expected that 2.2 million people, mostly in Madagascar, will be impacted as storm surges followed by flooding, according to the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. Mozambique will likely be struck on Friday, according to the country’s national meteorology institute. Mozambique has already experienced widespread flooding in recent weeks. The U.N. humanitarian agency predicts that to cope with the damages of the hurricane, intense relief works have to be undertaken. Five other coastal nations — Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and South Africa — are also vulnerable as Freddy looks set to pass through the Mozambican channel after Wednesday.
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The region has been vulnerable to cyclones. In the last 12 months, the region suffered a significant battering from a number of cyclones. This led to major loss of life, and property, displacement of large populations, and costly damages to major infrastructure.
