Over 70 Dead as Tropical Storm Ana Wreaks Havoc on Southern African Countries

Three countries in South Africa are currently counting casualties after remnants of Tropical Storm Ana swept the region, killing over dozens of people and damaging livelihoods and infrastructures.

The three hardest-hit countries - Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi - recorded tens of thousands of damaged homes and rising death tolls

At this time, rescue workers and authorities across the three countries are currently assessing the full extent of the damage on Friday morning, while another storm was forming in the Indian Ocean.

According to AFP, there have been 41 deaths recorded in Madagascar, 18 in Mozambique, and 11 in Malawi.

Tropical storm Ana also passed over Zimbabwe, but no fatalities were reported. The storm first made landfall in Madagascar on Monday before ploughing into Mozambique and Malawi through the week, bringing torrential rains.

State of natural disaster

Madagascar declared a state of national disaster on Thursday night, as well as the neighboring Malawi. Meanwhile, Mozambique's weather service detected a low-pressure system formed in the south-west part of the Indian Ocean over the past days which could mean another storm is coming in the next days. The country expects up to six tropical cyclones before the rainy season ends in March.

ReliefWeb situation report updates: "Tropical storm Ana is expected to cause displacement, flooding, and infrastructures' damages in the affected provinces, potentially impacting on highly vulnerable populations who have already suffered from previous natural disasters and conflict in northern Mozambique."

Tens of thousands of homes were damaged across the three hardest-hit countries, trapping victims in the rubble.

Swollen rivers washed away bridges and submerged fields, drowning livestock and destroying the livelihoods of rural families. 130,000 people from Madagascar fled from their homes. In the capital, Antananarivo, schools and gyms were turned into emergency shelters.

Another storm forming over the Indian Ocean

International weather services warned another storm named Batsirai will make landfall over the weekend.

"The situation is of extreme concern and vulnerability is very, very high," the UN's resident coordinator in Mozambique, Myrta Kaulard, said in a BBC report. "The challenge is titanic, the challenge is extreme," she added, while noting that the storms were hitting an already extremely vulnerable region still trying to recover from cyclones Idai and Kenneth back in 2019.

In addition to that, Mozambique is currently resolving a complex crisis in the north, which caused a huge budget strain in the country. They are also currenty fighting against the coronavirus pandemic.

However, national authorities are focusing more on restoring power especially in health establishments, water treatment distribution systems and schools, as most of the country lost electricity early in the week and electric grids were destroyed.

Mozambique had suffered the most with repeated destructive storms in recent years, among other parts of South Africa.