By RFPosted on 10-12-2019Modified on 10-12-2019 at 00:33
The tropical cyclone Belna reached the northwest coast of the island of Madagascar on Monday, December 9th, drowned in a downpour of water and swept by violent winds reaching up to 180 km / h.
The cyclone - observed a few days ago over the Indian Ocean - touched the northwest coast of the Big Island in the Boeny region, at Soalala town, 100 km south of Majunga , around 16h, local time.
Wind speeds of 150 km, with peaks of up to 180 km were recorded, as well as very heavy rains. According to Colonel Eleck Olivier Andriakaja, head of the National Office of Risk and Disaster Management, the town of Soalala has been seriously damaged.
Soalala is completely destroyed because there were strong winds, heavy rains. As a result, the dam protecting the sea collapsed first. There were floods in town and with the winds, roofs flew away and so people are homeless.
Colonel Eleck Olivier Andriakaja
09-12-2019 - By Alexandra Brangeon
Colonel Eleck Olivier Andriakaja estimates for the moment " between 8,000 and 9,000 " the number of homeless people. He says they have been moved to hard-to-find housing sites, such as churches, hospitals and schools.
A few hours before Belna's arrival, the Malagasy authorities had placed the Boeny area, home to about one million people, on red alert and evacuated nearly 200 people under threat.
In its latest bulletin, the Malagasy weather forecasts heavy rainfall of up to 200 mm in the next twenty-four hours. " The widespread floods are highly to be feared for the known vulnerable areas ," she added.
(with AFP)
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