A cyclone struck northern Madagascar on Wednesday, resulting in at least six fatalities and the displacement of 2,000 individuals from their homes.
Local sources indicate extensive flooding, causing substantial damage to roads and bridges.
The disaster management authority (BNGRC), cited by AFP news agency, reports a death toll of 11 from Cyclone Gamane. Of these, six drowned, while others were killed by falling trees or collapsing houses.
Gen Elack Andriakaja, BNGRC director-general, described the cyclone’s unusual stationary movement, stating, “It’s rare to have a cyclone like this.
Its movement is nearly stationary. When the system stops in one place, it devastates all the infrastructure. And that has serious consequences for the population.”
A severe cyclone named Biparjoy, meaning “disaster” in Bengali, is approaching India and Pakistan, prompting the evacuation of over 150,000 people in its path.
The cyclone poses a significant threat to homes and crops as it is expected to make landfall in Gujarat, India’s western state, on Thursday evening local time.
Preliminary reports indicate heavy rainfall, rough seas, and high tides along the coastal regions of Gujarat. Cyclone Biparjoy is projected to hit the area between the Jakhau port, situated between Mandvi in Gujarat and Keti Bandar in Pakistan’s Sindh province, sometime between 16:00 and 20:00 local time.
Pakistan’s disaster management agency has issued warnings of storm surges reaching heights of 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) along the coastline from Karachi to Gujarat.
Meanwhile, Alok Pandey, Gujarat’s Relief Commissioner, highlighted that although the cyclone’s speed has decreased, its wind speeds are still expected to be dangerously high at around 110-120 km/h (68-75 mph) during landfall.
India’s meteorological department has cautioned that the cyclone will cause significant damage to roads, thatched houses, and vital infrastructure such as electricity towers and trees along Gujarat’s coast.
Efforts are underway to ensure the safety of residents in the affected areas, with evacuation procedures and emergency measures being implemented. The authorities are closely monitoring the situation and providing updates to the public as the cyclone approaches.
The state’s health minister, Rushikesh Patel, asked people to stay where they were and avoid travelling. “Our aim is to ensure zero casualties,” he said.
At least seven deaths were reported amid heavy rains in India this week.
The victims included two children crushed by a collapsing wall, and a woman hit by a falling tree while riding a motorbike, AFP news agency reported.
In Pakistan, the storm is expected to strike the coast of Sindh province. Authorities have already evacuated 81,000 people from the south-eastern coast and set up 75 relief camps at schools.
Pakistan’s climate change minister Sherry Rehman said that Karachi, the province’s largest city with a population of more than 20 million, was not under immediate threat but emergency measures were being taken.
Meteorologists warned that high tides could inundate low-lying areas along the coasts.
Image caption,More than 150,000 people in India and Pakistan have been evacuated to shelters and temporary camps
Several parts of coastal Gujarat have witnessed heavy rains and high-speed winds since Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, strong winds and rough sea conditions were reported in Mandvi.
The Jakhau Port, usually bustling with activity, wore a deserted look because the entire village near the shoreline has been relocated.
Gujarat state officials said 67,000 people had been evacuated from coastal areas.
Image caption,The cyclone is expected to make landfall on Thursday evening local time
Several train services have been suspended in Gujarat, while the ports of Kandla and Mundra – two of India’s largest – have stopped operations, authorities said.
Fishing has stopped along the Gujarat coast, while fishermen in Pakistan’s coastal region have also been warned to stay off the water.
Six national disaster relief teams have been deployed in key areas in the Kutch region of Gujarat for relief work. They will focus on ensuring that essential services remain unaffected or at least restored soon, depending on the cyclone’s intensity.
The India Meteorological Department expects Biparjoy to “fall in intensity” after crossing.
Cyclones, also known as hurricanes in the North Atlantic and typhoons in the Northwest Pacific, are a regular and deadly phenomenon in the Indian Ocean. Rising surface temperatures across the Arabian Sea in recent years due to climate change have made the surrounding regions even more vulnerable to devastating storms.
Cyclone Tauktae in May 2021 was the last severe cyclone that struck in the same region. It killed 174 people.
The evacuations for Biparjoy have brought back grim memories from 25 years ago when another cyclone hit the Gujarat coast, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Official figures put the death toll at around 4,000 but unofficially, locals say the number is much higher.
“We have seen cyclones in the past, but this time it looks very bad,” says 40-year old Abbas Yakub, a fisherman sheltering at a primary school in Mandvi. He is among 150 people at the temporary shelter.
“Our home is exactly at the coast, waves already touched our house yesterday morning. We don’t know what we will go back to,” he says.
A warning of a severe tropical cyclone approaching Mauritius has caused disruptions to fights and public transportation.
The Mauritius Meteorological Services said at 07:00, a “very intense tropical cyclone Freddy was centred at about 275 km to the north-east of Mauritius”, moving west at a speed of 30km/h (18mph)
It estimated that wind gusts near its centre was about 300 km/h.
“On this trajectory, Freddy continues to dangerously approach Mauritius and represents a direct threat,” it said.
The weather agency warned people not to go to the sea and advised the public to follow all precautions and stay in safe places.
