Cyclone Barsirai made landfall on coast of Madagascar

On February 6, 2022, Cyclone Barsirai made landfall on coast of Madagascar, killing at least six people. It was an intense tropical cyclone.

Highlights

• Cyclone had the packing winds of 235 km/h.
• It struck the Mananjary district, which is around 530 kilometres southeast of the capital Antananarivo.
• It has resulted into widespread damage by blowing the roofs off homes, and knocking down utility poles & trees. City of Nosy Varika is almost 95% destroyed.
• As per disaster management agency of Madagascar, about 48,000 people moved to emergency accommodation.

Second storm to hit nation

Cyclone Batsirai is the second major storm, hitting the island nation in less than two weeks. In January 2022, Storm Ana caused widespread destruction and death to 55 people. It also forced tens of thousands of people out from their homes.

Loss estimates by World Food Programme

The World Food Programme cited estimates from national authorities. It highlighted that, cyclone Batsirai could directly affect 595,000 people and 150,000 more might be displaced because of new flooding and landslides. It poses a risk to at least 4.4 million people