Cyclone Batsirai destroys homes and knocks out power in Madagascar
Cyclone Batsirai made landfall on Madagascar’s eastern coast late Saturday, causing severe gusts, a power outage, and the destruction of homes as it raced inland. Batsirai was feared to exacerbate the devastation caused by another storm, Ana, which devastated the island just two weeks ago and killed 55 people.
At around 8 p.m., the Batsirai storm system impacted an area around 14 kilometers (nine miles) north of the town of Mananjary in Madagascar’s southeast, according to a local weather advisory. The cyclone had average winds of about 165 km per hour, the bulletin said.
“The winds are terrible. I’ve never experienced this. Mananjary has never experienced such a situation. The waves are very high,” Hanitra Raharisoa, a resident of Mananjary, told Reuters
Another resident who gave only one name, Raharijaona, told Reuters also by phone the storm had knocked out the area’s power grid, felled trees and destroyed some homes.
Madagascar’s weather agency stated in a statement early on Saturday that the storm was projected to sweep the country from east to west, “remaining generally at a dangerous stage.”
The streets of Antananarivo, the capital, were deserted as many citizens chose to stay indoors. Banks and other businesses were forced to close.
At a shelter in the capital for people left homeless by Cyclone Ana, 20-year-old Faniry said early on Saturday she was too scared to venture outside as Batsirai approached.
“Cyclone Batsirai seems very strong,” she told Reuters, giving only her first name.
Around her, women and children sat huddled together on the floor alongside their belongings. “We are stuck here because we can’t bring our children outside because it’s cold and we are afraid of landslides. Better for us to be cautious and stay here,” Faniry said.
REUTERS
