Cyclone-hit Madagascar braces for another ‘big one’

 

The island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa is bracing for yet another cyclone having already been hit by three major tropical storms in the last month.

Cyclone Emnati is expected to make landfall on the eastern coast of Madagascar late Tuesday amid fears it will be a stronger storm than the three that have left nearly 200 people dead this cyclone season. Most of those deaths have been on the Indian Ocean island but people have also died in Mozambique and Malawi on mainland Africa.

Tropical storm Ana hit Madagascar in late January. The devastating Cyclone Batsirai left more than 120 people dead and displaced around 143,000 on the island early this month, and destroyed buildings and roads. Cyclone Dumako made landfall just last week.

A red alert has been issued for Emnati, which is moving over the Indian Ocean and currently has maximum wind speeds of 222 kilometers per hour (138 miles per hour), according to the U.N. weather station on the island of Reunion, which monitors the cyclones.

Emnati has been categorized as a strong cyclone and is expected to pummel the Vatomandry and Farafangana regions in eastern Madagascar with heavy rains, storm surges and strong winds on Tuesday night.