Tropical Cyclone Emnati: 4th tropical system that hits Madagascar this month
This is the 3rd tropical cyclone that has influenced Madagascar this month, while it is the fourth major storm that has hit the Indian Ocean island in February. Tropical Cyclone Emnati made a catastrophic landfall on Tuesday night on the island with sustainable winds of 140km/h and waves reaching up to 10m, while the island was still reeling from the impact of Tropical Cyclone Batsirai and Tropical Storm Ana.
The tropical cyclone made landfall at 2300 GMT on Tuesday with pressure 972 mb north of the southeastern district of Manakara. As soon as it passed through the land reclassified as a Tropical Storm with sustainable winds of 120km/h. Torrential rain or heavy thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds dominate the southern areas of the island today. The tropical storm continues moving southwestwards and tonight will be located in Tanandranto, as later the night will exit into the ocean. The next 24hours the accumulation rates will reach, locally, at 200mm, causing severe floods. Thankfully, no casualties have been reported yet. More than 30,000 people were evacuated ahead of Emnati's path as a precaution, the government's Office for Risk and Disaster Management said late on Tuesday.
#BreakingNews | #Emnati Is now a Tropical Cyclone with sustained winds of 70mph (60 kts) and gusts of up to 86mph (74 kts), you can see it's projected track below. pic.twitter.com/1f8VdldVgw
— TropiFeed (@TheTropiFeed) February 23, 2022
Chikondi Chabvuta, the advocacy advisor for CARE's Southern Africa region, said, "The increased frequency of cyclones in Madagascar is causing a lot of fear in an already traumatized community, as the memory of past natural disasters is not only visible but also persistent. People are losing their lives and livelihoods due to climate change and its impacts. Entire communities become vulnerable to these shocks. In a country where poverty is extremely high and inequality deep, climate change intensifies the impact of these emergencies on the community. When cyclones pass, the rains and flooding that follow cause tremendous loss and damage."
1m of rain today and tomorrow... #CycloneEmnati #FortDauphin #Madagascar pic.twitter.com/gqQR4PyYVw
— Louise du Plessis (@Louisedp3137) February 23, 2022
#CycloneEmnati has hit Fort Dauphin, causing widespread damage to the town. This is only two weeks after Madagascar was hit by Cyclone Batsirai, which led to a tragic loss of 200 lives. pic.twitter.com/bvKtNcVucS
— SEED Madagascar (@SEEDMadagascar) February 23, 2022
The island is still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Batsirai, which made a landfall on the island on February 5, affecting 270.000 people with the death toll reaching to 121. Tropical Storm Ana Madagascar was declared a state of national catastrophe, mourning 48 victims, while 130.000 people were forced to flee their homes. Storm Dumako, last week, affected 5.000 people, while around 31.000 people have precautionary been moved to emergency shelters.
Although it is the typhoon season in the Indian Ocean, it is rare to see four tropical storms hitting the same country in the space of four weeks, said Clare Nullis from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations body, has forecast that the proportion of intense tropical cyclones will increase!!!