Madagascar Hit Hard by Tropical Storm Fytia, Hundreds Affected by Flooding
At least three people have lost their lives and over 28,000 residents are among those affected as Cyclone Fytia tore through Madagascar. The tropical storm made landfall on Thursday over the northern Mozambique Channel, bringing with it heavy rainfall totals of around 150mm, which in turn has sparked widespread flooding and landslides.
Government officials have issued red alerts for several regions along the cyclone's path, warning residents to take necessary precautions. With travel disruption expected to worsen, schools have been closed as authorities scramble to mitigate the disaster's impact.
The full extent of the damage is still unknown, but it's feared that up to 40,000 homes could be affected by flooding over the next few days. According to a preliminary report from Madagascar's national bureau for disaster risk management, the cyclone has caused at least three deaths and left thousands homeless.
Fytia brought severe weather conditions, including strong winds of over 90mph and gusts as high as 130mph. The storm moved south-east through northern and central Madagascar on Saturday, causing widespread destruction and chaos.
The tropical storm weakened into a tropical depression but its impact is still being felt across the country. Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, eastern Europe is bracing for a bitter cold snap. Temperatures are set to plummet, with some areas potentially dropping below -30C, as a cold air mass moves in from the north.
The severe weather is being driven by high pressure over Scandinavia and low pressure over Russia, which is creating an easterly wind pattern that's bringing cold air into the region. The existing snow cover on the ground is also contributing to the drop in temperatures, with longwave radiation from the snow helping to cool the air above.
At least three people have lost their lives and over 28,000 residents are among those affected as Cyclone Fytia tore through Madagascar. The tropical storm made landfall on Thursday over the northern Mozambique Channel, bringing with it heavy rainfall totals of around 150mm, which in turn has sparked widespread flooding and landslides.
Government officials have issued red alerts for several regions along the cyclone's path, warning residents to take necessary precautions. With travel disruption expected to worsen, schools have been closed as authorities scramble to mitigate the disaster's impact.
The full extent of the damage is still unknown, but it's feared that up to 40,000 homes could be affected by flooding over the next few days. According to a preliminary report from Madagascar's national bureau for disaster risk management, the cyclone has caused at least three deaths and left thousands homeless.
Fytia brought severe weather conditions, including strong winds of over 90mph and gusts as high as 130mph. The storm moved south-east through northern and central Madagascar on Saturday, causing widespread destruction and chaos.
The tropical storm weakened into a tropical depression but its impact is still being felt across the country. Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, eastern Europe is bracing for a bitter cold snap. Temperatures are set to plummet, with some areas potentially dropping below -30C, as a cold air mass moves in from the north.
The severe weather is being driven by high pressure over Scandinavia and low pressure over Russia, which is creating an easterly wind pattern that's bringing cold air into the region. The existing snow cover on the ground is also contributing to the drop in temperatures, with longwave radiation from the snow helping to cool the air above.
This tropical storm Fytia has brought so much destruction and chaos to the country 
I'm just thinking about those 28,000 people affected by flooding and landslides 
Can you imagine not having a place to call home for days on end? 
The thought of up to 40,000 homes being affected is just heartbreaking 
. Schools are closed too which is good I guess, so kids are safe for now 
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. But it's not just Madagascar that's affected... eastern Europe is getting hit with a cold snap 
, and it sounds really harsh! -30C is like, crazy cold 
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. Flooding & landslides everywhere, I hope everyone gets help ASAP 
. Schools closed due to travel disruption, imagine the kids 
. The damage is still unknown but 40k homes at risk? That's a lot of people struggling 
.
this is so sad 
having to deal with heavy rain, flooding, and landslides... poor people who lost their homes 
40k+ homes affected? that's a lot of people struggling 
. The thought of up to 40k homes being flooded is just mind-blowing...what a devastating impact Fytia had on Madagascar 
...
. I mean, 90mph winds and 130mph gusts? That's just wild. And now we're hearing that up to 40,000 homes could be affected by flooding... like, what even is the point of all this rain? 
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40k homes at risk of being flooded, hope the gov't is doing everything they can to help out ASAP 
The gov't is doing what they can to mitigate the damage, but it's not easy dealing with these kinds of natural disasters. I hope people are getting the help they need, especially those who've lost their homes 
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and I'm not surprised that governments are scrambling to mitigate the impact of disasters like this 
. I'm no expert, but it sounds like Madagascar got hit hard with flooding and landslides.