After the passage of cyclone Emnati in Madagascar, relief began Wednesday, February 23 at the end of the afternoon to assess the damage on the island already hit by several tropical storms and a cyclone for a month.
"For the moment, we have no feedback indicating possible human tolls but we must remain cautious, we are less than 24 hours after the arrival of the cyclone," Faly Aritiana Fabien told AFP. the National Risk Management Office (BNGRC).
Bad weather has so far prevented rescuers from carrying out extensive searches in the affected areas, mainly in the south-east and south of the big island in the Indian Ocean.
Cyclone #Emnati is currently crossing Madagascar causing a lot of damage.
Seven regions are still on red alert.
The BNGRC teams carry out the first assessments and organize the emergency response.
A provisional report will be published shortly.
pic.twitter.com/1s1ASB0sPC
— BNGRC MADAGASCAR (@BngrcMada) February 23, 2022
On rescue videos, the same scenes of desolation as during the disasters that occurred a few weeks earlier: fragile houses drowned in brown water, debris and uprooted trees.
More than 37,300 people placed in accommodation centers
In early February, Cyclone Batsirai killed at least 121 people, destroyed thousands of homes and devastated crops.
Thousands of people are still homeless.
In January, Tropical Storm Ana had already killed around 100 people in Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
According to the latest weather reports, the cyclone that made landfall on the eastern coast overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday has weakened slightly in the past few hours.
"The average wind is reduced to 65 km / h, alternated by gusts of 90 km / h", according to Météo-Madagascar.
Météo-France is already warning against the risk of formation of another tropical storm in the next five days.
By mid-afternoon, Emnati was inland in the region of Bekily (south), and was continuing its journey towards the southwest.
The cyclone is expected to leave the island through the Mozambique Channel overnight.
More than 37,300 people have been placed in accommodation centers as a precaution.
One of the poorest countries on the planet, Madagascar has been hit for months by an extreme drought in a vast area of the South, which is causing acute malnutrition and pockets of famine.
About ten storms or cyclones cross the southwest Indian Ocean each year during the hurricane season, which runs from November to April.
With AFP
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