Photo: CNN
Over 80 casualties have been confirmed, and many are affected this week following the hit of Tropical Cyclone Ana across Africa, said the humanitarian agency of the European Commission Friday.
The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) said earlier that the island country of Madagascar – where people have already suffered from the scarcity of food due to prolonged drought – had been most seriously affected, with 41 deaths and over 110,000 impacted. However, ECHO didn’t give full detail about the deaths in its recent update.
On Monday, Ana made landfall in Angoche, Mozambique, also affecting Malawi and Madagascar, as per the South African Weather Service’s issued statement.
Approximately 15 people died and over 45,000 have been impacted in Mozambique. On the other hand, Malawi declared that around 11 were killed, with about 217,000 individuals being affected, said ECHO.
The reports say that rivers have overflowed due to heavy rainfall and that floods and landslides caused casualties and extensive damage.
According to the South African Weather Service, while Ana has reduced in intensity, Malawi and Zambia could still see heavy showers during the weekend.
Agricultural land, main infrastructure and homes have been wrecked, as lives and livelihood have been lost, said a World Food Programme spokeswoman.
She said further, “Severe storms and cyclones have repeatedly struck southern African countries in recent years that have impacted food security, destroyed livelihoods and displaced large numbers of people.”
Numerous African regions have fought catastrophic floods for the past year as they face double concerns of prolonged drought and a growing rainfall intensity, which results in prime flooding conditions.
As climate change continues to raise the temperature of the Earth, the whole of Africa is expected to undergo a more frequent heavy rain experience, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change said in a recent report. In a warmer climate, Southern Africa is specifically exposed to drought.
