Hurricane Ana: Nearly 80 dead in southern Africa

The death toll from Tropical Storm Ana in southern Africa has risen to 77, with tens of thousands forced to flee their homes, according to the latest figures released by authorities in Madagascar, Mozambique and Minsk on Thursday. in Malawi.

Governments and rescue teams in the three countries are still in the process of assessing the extent of the damage caused by heavy rains that began last week off the coast of the Indian Ocean and the Mozambique Canal.

A state of national catastrophe was declared in Madagascar last night, mourning 48 victims.

In Mozambique and Malawi, the death toll remained at 18 and 11 dead respectively. The storm also hit Zimbabwe, but authorities have not announced any deaths.

Tens of thousands of homes were damaged, hundreds collapsed under the weight of liters of water that fell within a few days and people were trapped.

Bridges collapsed after rivers overflowed, swept away cars and occupants. Fields were flooded, cattle were swept away by the waters, destroying the lives of residents.

In Madagascar, 130,000 people were forced to flee their homes. In the capital, Antananarivo, gyms and schools have been set up and converted into emergency accommodation.

After crossing the Indian Ocean, Tropical Storm Ana hit northern and central Mozambique. More than 10,000 homes were destroyed, as were dozens of hospitals and schools and power infrastructure. The government and the UN estimate that 500,000 people have been affected in several provinces.

A new storm, dubbed Batsirai, has formed in the Indian Ocean and is expected to hit the country in the coming days, according to the Mozambican Meteorological Service. It could turn into a dangerous “tropical storm in the next few hours”, warns a United Nations statement.

Four to six cyclones are expected to hit the area by the end of March, when the rainy season ends.

According to Mirta Cowlard, the UN special envoy to Mozambique, “the situation is extremely worrying” as the vulnerability of several areas is “very high”.

The Italian explained that “Mozambique must face a complex crisis in the north, which puts even more pressure on the country’s budget, the population, in the midst of the pandemic of the new coronavirus” and “the challenge is gigantic”.

In neighboring Malawi, the government declared a state of natural disaster. Much of the country has been plunged into darkness since the beginning of the week. Sudden floods forced power companies to shut down their generators. The power supply has been gradually restored for the past two days, but many grid structures have been damaged.

“Our priority is to restore power to health facilities and schools,” the Malawi Electricity Authority (ESCOM) said in a statement.

Southern Africa, especially Mozambique, has been hit repeatedly by severe storms and cyclones in recent years, causing extensive property damage and displacing large numbers of people.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ