Cyclone Batsirai delivers crushing blow to vulnerable Madagascar

Intense Tropical Cyclone Batsirai crashed into the east coast of Madagascar over the weekend, unleashing destructive winds, destroying entire towns and adding further hardships to a country still reeling from the effects of Ana in late January. Officials reported at least 21 deaths as a result of the storm and fear this number may climb in the days to come.

The powerful cyclone had the equivalent strength of a Category 3 major hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 111-129 mph, or 178-208 km/h) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic or East Pacific basins at the time of landfall, which occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday, local time, between Nosy-Varika and Mananjary. At its peak, Batsirai had equivalent wind strength to a Category 4 major hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 130-156 mph, or 209-251 km/h) at times as it battered the islands of Réunion and Mauritius to the east of Madagascar this past week.

More than 62,000 people were displaced from their homes, and hundreds of schools were damaged in the storm's fury, leaving nearly 10,000 children without a school to attend, ABC News reported.

"It's as if we had just been bombed. The city of Nosy-Varika is almost 95% destroyed. The solid houses saw their roofs torn off by the wind. The wooden huts have, for the most part, been destroyed," Willy Raharijaona, technical advisor to the vice president of Madagascar's Senate, told Reuters.

Mananjary faired no better, according to early reports, with one resident telling AFP that "no matter where you go everything is destroyed." Nearly 6,000 buildings were flooded in the town and surrounding areas, with 3,000 structures destroyed, The Associated Press reported.

Satellite images leading up to landfall captured the sheer breadth of the storm, including a well-defined eye indicative of the power of the cyclone as it churned across the southwestern Indian Ocean.

Dangerous seas stirred by the storm contributed to a Mauritian oil tanker running aground on Réunion Island late last week. Fortunately, all sailors on board were rescued. Twelve people were injured on the island as a result of the cyclone's impacts there, and around 10,000 people remained without power on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera.

Rainfall amounts surpassed 12 inches (305 mm) in Vacoas, Mauritius, despite the cyclone only delivering a glancing blow to the island.

South of the point of impact in Madagascar, the French national meteorological service, Météo-France, warned of a 3-foot (1-meter) storm surge, leading to significant coastal flooding. The agency said the storm posed a "very serious threat to the area."

"The winds are terrible. I've never experienced this. Mananjary has never experienced such a situation. The waves are very high," one resident of Mananjary explained to Reuters via telephone.

Scenes captured by locals showed the ground littered with debris with trees snapped in half or completely uprooted and power lines downed by the intensity of the cyclone's winds. Washed out roads and bridges have made it difficult for officials to assess the full scope of the damage.

Even areas farther inland were not spared by Batsirai's fury. In Fianarantsoa, 125 miles west of Mananjary, one resident told Reuters that there was "only desolation" in the town with floodwaters engulfing the entire area.

The World Food Program's director for Madagascar, Pasqualina DiSirio, said that the region's rice crops, which are a main source of food for Madagascar residents, would be severely damaged.

Ahead of the storm, Madagascar braced for impact Friday with emergency shelters constructed and search and rescue teams ready for deployment. Approximately 150,000 people were estimated to be displaced due to the cyclone, according to Reuters.

Batsirai's bitter blow comes a mere two weeks after Ana crossed northern portions of the country.

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"What later became Tropical Storm Ana in the Mozambique Channel struck Madagascar on Jan. 22 and ultimately left at least 55 dead due to a combination of torrential rainfall and dangerous mudslides," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.

Emergency response efforts were described as "overstretched" in the wake of Ana's impact, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a statement, adding that Batsirai would likely "worsen the overall country's humanitarian situation."

Ana would go on to impact Mozambique and Malawi in southeast Africa, where additional fatalities brought the storm's death toll to at least 88.

Although Batisrai has not spared Madagascar, AccuWeather meteorologists say the storm is not on the same path as Ana. The cyclone emerged in the Mozambique Channel and had started to curve southward away from Africa as of Monday afternoon, local time.

This curved path, however, may cause downpours to persist across Madagascar on Tuesday, adding additional hardships to areas that were inflicted with substantial damage.

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