(3 minutes read)
- Some 600,000 people could be affected by Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar, making its impact more than what it was expected initially, according to the AID organizations
- Coming close on the heels of Cyclone Ana, which lashed at the southern African countries, creating loss of lives and properties, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai could be more destructive, according to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management of Madagascar
- The authorities have asked the residents to leave the risky areas including the low-lying places of capital city Antananarivo
Some 600,000 people could be affected by Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar, making its impact more than what it was expected initially, according to the AID organizations.
Coming close on the heels of Cyclone Ana, which lashed at the southern African countries, creating loss of lives and properties, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai could be more destructive, according to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management of Madagascar. The authorities have asked the residents to leave the risky areas including the low-lying places of capital city Antananarivo.
During the cyclone season (November to April) that happens almost every year, about ten low-pressure systems (storms or cyclones) cross the southwestern Indian Ocean from east to west. Pasqualina Di Sirio, director of the World Food Programme (WFP) for Madagascar said the new cyclone could affect more than 600,000 people, including 150,000 displaced on the island, which could make it a major crisis.
The national authorities with the help of the UN are preparing for the cyclone. They are pre-deploying search and rescue teams and preparing stockpiles of supplies. Aircraft are ready to respond to the required humanitarian responses, said national authorities, adding that the preparedness was at the highest scale.
The capital Antananarivo and its low-lying neighbourhoods were flooded in January due to Tropical Cyclone Ana. Authorities are expecting further flooding as the cyclone approaches the shore. The help of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is being mobilized. Batsirai is expected to hit the eastern coast of Madagascar, including the Mahanoro region, Meteo-France said, possibly still at the stage of an intense tropical cyclone.
In the meantime, to prepare for the cyclone, people are putting sandbags on the roofs of their houses. Fishermen are staying home. Most of the population in several places are staying close to the sea increasing the risk and at the same time, increasing the need for evacuation once the situation becomes murkier.
