Madagascar and Severe Weather

     Madagascar does not have a spring, summer, fall or winter. There is a rainy period between November and May and a dry period the rest of the time.  During the rainy period, Madagascar can experience torrential rains due to tropical storms and cyclones.  Madagascar experiences at least three to four major cyclones a year during this period.  The storms usually form in the east in the Indian Ocean.  The hardest hit areas tend to be on the eastern side of the island, especially the northeast or central areas of the island. The heavy rains can lead to flooding and mudslides causing death and destruction of structures, crops and roads.  Since Madagascar is a very poor country, many homes are not well constructed and many people have no other choice but to live in flood zones.   In cities, the infrastructure like drainage systems and dykes are not always well constructed and maintained to prevent flooding.  In rural areas, the infrastructure is usually not even present.  Deforestation is also a problem making landslides more likely during periods of heavy rains because trees canopies serve as a barrier to the wind and rain and the deep roots of the trees help keep the soil in place. Without the forests, there is nothing to keep the soil and other materials in place on hillsides.  I know that cyclones are going to be the topic for next week but this is the major type of severe weather that Madagascar experiences.

    In contrast, the southern part of the island is subjected to periodic droughts.  Droughts are defined as periods of unusually low precipitation leaving people, plants and animals temporary with very little water.  Over one billion people live in dry areas where droughts are common and over a100 million are at risk for starvation if their crops fail due to drought.  Not only has Madagascar experienced some rather severe cyclones this past year in the north resulting in deaths and destruction of property but has also experienced a very severe year long drought in the south. Over 100 people have reportedly died of starvation due to the drought and has left as many as 200,000 at the brink of starvation due to crop failure.  Food prices have also gone up 100% and the price of 25 liter water containers have rose 25 times.  According to the general director of meteorology in Madagascar, the El Nino will be severe through October of this year through April of next year.  This will result in less rain then average in the south and the north will have more precipitation than usual. The El Nino is a climate pattern where the water in the Pacific Ocean is warmer then usual around the equator which affects the atmosphere and weather around the world.  The trade winds can also weaken or reverse. The UN food assistance branch and other charity organizations have been helping Madagascar to prevent more starvation.

 

REFERENCES

Kellor, Edward A., Devecchio, Duane E., (2015) Natural Hazards, Earth's processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes (4TH ED).

Heavy rains turn Antananarivo into a city of landslides.  floodlist.com/africa/heavy-rain-antananarivo-landslides.

Madagascar: Drought Wreaking Havoc but the Worst is coming. News.islandcrisis.net/2015/02/madagascar-drought-wrecking-havoc

Devastating Drought has 200,000 People in Madagascar on…https://news.vice.com/article/devastation=drought

Tens of thousands going hungry in drought-hit Madagascar.news-yahoo.com/ten=thousands-