By Omotayo Edubi
Even as Southern African nations assess the devastation caused earlier this month by Cyclone Batsirai, a new tropical storm is approaching as the Indian Ocean region is confronted by an intense cyclone season.
Tropical Storm Dumako is projected to slam into the northeastern coast of Madagascar Tuesday evening, according to the U.N.’s regional meteorology center in Reunion. Dumako, the fourth storm this year, is forecast to make landfall in northeastern Madagascar and the areas of Sava, Analanjirofo and Toamasina are on alert.
About eight to 12 more cyclones may hit southern Africa and nearby islands in the Indian Ocean before the cyclone season ends in May, part of an increase in recent years of extreme tropical storms in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the U.N. Meteorological Organization.
In Madagascar, the state disaster relief agency has confirmed 92 deaths toll from Cyclone Batsirai, as information continued to filter in from areas of the country that were badly affected.
Zimbabwe’s meteorological department said the Tropical Cyclone Batsirai has extended southward away from Zimbabwe.
According to the government, six more tropical cyclones are expected to hit Zimbabwe before the end of the rainy season in April.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa told a summit of African leaders on February 6, 2022 that the continent was “experiencing the worst impacts of phenomena associated with global warming such as droughts, floods and cyclones”.
