According to government records, since a major tropical cyclone made landfall last week and churned for days off the island’s western coast, more than twenty Madagascans have perished and tens of thousands have been rendered homeless.
Ten days ago, Cyclone Cheneso struck northeastern Madagascar, bringing with it high winds and precipitation that led to widespread flooding.
Over the course of the week, it moved southeast, causing more damage to homes, schools, and several major roadways.
An update from Madagascar’s Office for Risk and Disaster Management on Sunday stated that 25 individuals are now believed to have perished and another 21 are still missing.
Nearly 38,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, totaling at least 83,181 persons affected.
The emergency management office stated in an earlier report on Friday night that more than 23,600 homes were flooded and at least 500 others were totally damaged.
Cheneso, which had winds of 73–103 mph (118–166 km/h) in recent days and briefly became a tropical cyclone, “has started to lose its purely tropical characteristic,” according to the Southwest Indian Ocean Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre based on the French overseas territory of La Reunion.
On January 19, Cheneso made landfall with winds of high as 110 kph (68.3mph).
It is the first tropical storm to make landfall on the sizable Indian Ocean island in Southern Africa’s current cyclone season, which generally lasts from November to April.
In recent years, Mozambique and Madagascar have frequently been struck by powerful storms and cyclones that have devastated homes, infrastructure, and crops while uprooting significant populations.
Four significant storms struck Madagascar in January and February of last year, causing at least 138 deaths, the destruction of 124,000 dwellings, and the displacement of about 130,000 people.
