Cyclone Batsirai’s high winds and rain pound Madagascar

Antananarivo, Feb. 6 (BNA) The full force of Cyclone Batsirai hit the eastern coast of Madagascar with heavy winds and rain on Saturday night.

The tropical storm’s epicenter landed near Manangari, on the east coast, and moved inland across the island.

The cyclone gained strength as it swept across the Indian Ocean, with storm winds reaching peaks of 235 kilometers (145 miles) per hour, according to the island’s Department of Meteorology.

Patsirai, which means help in the Shona language, was classified as a dangerous storm and officials warned it could cause “large and extensive damage, particularly floods in the east, southeast and central highlands,” the department said in a statement. According to the Press Agency (AP).

As a precaution, 22,000 people have already been evacuated to gyms, schools or churches, mainly around Manangari, on the east coast.

“The wind is getting stronger and there is a lot of rain. The sea is very rough. There are big waves coming down with great force,” said Captain Rafaahalahi Henningwa, chief of the Gendarmerie in Manangari, on Saturday.

Many trees were blown away by the winds, he said, and electricity had been cut off since Friday night.

Inland, Antananarivo, the capital, saw rain before the cyclone, and residents placed sandbags on their roofs to protect them from the wind.

In anticipation of widespread devastation, most land and sea transportation on Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island, has been suspended.

“Almost all areas of the island are at risk,” the National Office of Risk and Disaster Management said, warning that the cyclone threatens nearly 600,000 of the island’s 28 million residents.

HF