Another storm Jasmine to hit Madagascar, Mozambique

Another tropical storm – Jasmine has hit Madagascar and Mozambique on Tuesday evening killing one person in Madagascar while three others are missing.

The two countries, and other countries in the SADC region have been hit by five cyclones in 2022 damaging crops, infrastructure, leaving thousands dead, and millions displaced from their homes.

According to the World Weather Attribution network, between January and March, three tropical cyclones and two tropical storms hit the southern Africa region.

According to the European Commission’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), after making landfall close to Toliara City (Atsimo-Andrefana Region, south-west Madagascar), tropical depression Jasmine was moving eastwards over southern Madagascar.

“On 27 April at 4.00 UTC, its centre was located inland, about 30 km north of Tsivory Commune (Anosy Region, southern Madagascar), with maximum sustained winds of 53 km/h. Rainfall, strong winds and high waves have been affecting south-eastern Madagascar. According to the media, one person died and three others went missing near Toliara, while a number of houses and roads sustained damage,” ECHO said.

“Jasmine is forecast to reach the southern Indian Ocean as a Tropical Storm on the morning of 27 April, and further dissipate on 28 April. An operational centre has been established in Tulear on 26 April ahead of the landing. All sectors have been mobilized, a rapid assessment mission has been organised and a mapping of prepositioned stocks shared with the various stakeholders present in the area.”

Madagascar confirmed that Jasmine had intensified into a severe tropical storm.

“Its centre was positioned about 363km west-northwest of Morombe and could make landfall on Atsimo Andrefana on Tuesday evening,” the Madagascar’s Natural Disaster Management Agency said.

Meanwhile, Mozambique has warned the tropical storm could hit the south of Nampula province and the north of Inhambane this week.

According to the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM), Jasmine could be characterised by strong winds of up to 100km per hour and gusts of 120km that could generate waves of nine metres.

Last week, the World Bank disbursed $US415 million to support Madagascar in its post-cyclones recovery strategy.

“A National Recovery Plan was established after the passage of cyclones. We were thus able to discuss this subject of major importance during a meeting with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,” the country’s President Andry Rajoelina said on Tuesday.

His comments came after the president’s delegation held a meeting with World Bank head David Malpass along with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Washington, the US.

He added the money would be used mainly to rebuild roads and revive agriculture and improve access to electricity and water.

Two weeks ago, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said it would disburse $US46 million to support communities affected by cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique.

The two are the worst natural disasters recorded in Mozambique in the last two decades.

The AfDB said the money would support 40 000 families that rely on agriculture until 2023.