Climate change increased rainfall associated with tropical cyclones hitting highly vulnerable communities in Madagascar, Mozambique & Malawi
Climate change increased rainfall associated with tropical cyclones hitting highly vulnerable communities in Madagascar, Mozambique & Malawi
Tropical Storm Ana in late January 2022 brought winds, heavy rains, damage and destruction to parts of Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Ana was followed by Tropical Cyclone Batsirai hitting the South coast of Madagascar on February the 5th 2022. Ana and Batsirai were the first storms of the 2021-22 Southwest Indian Ocean cyclone season (November-April). Following those two events two more tropical cyclones and another storm also made landfall leading to further flooding and increasing the number of people affected and casualties. Both Ana and Batsirai caused severe humanitarian impacts in Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi including deaths and injuries, infrastructure damage, and a range of long-lasting socio-economic impacts which may become even more apparent as the recovery process begins. Most of these impacts were driven by the amount of rain and flooding brought by these two systems.