Madagascar braced up for Cyclone Batsirai set to hit the eastern parts of the Indian Ocean island on Saturday, with powerful winds and torrential rains posing a “very serious threat” to millions.
Residents hunkered down before the storm makes landfall in an impoverished country still recovering from the deadly Tropical Storm Ana in late January.
The Meteo-France weather service warned of winds of up to 260 kilometres per hour (162 miles per hour) and waves as high as 15 metres (50 feet).
It said Batsirai would likely make landfall Saturday afternoon as an intense tropical cyclone, “presenting a very serious threat to the area” after passing Mauritius and drenching the French island of La Reunion for two days with torrential rain.
Residents in the eastern coastal town of Vatomandry were stockpiling supplies in preparation for the storm.
“We have been stocking up for a week, rice but also grains because with the electricity cuts we can not keep meat or fish,” said…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
