Flooding, landslides from tropical storm Cheneso causes nearly 30 deaths, leaves 20 missing in Madagascar

Flash floods and landslides caused by the passage of Tropical Storm Cheneso in Madagascar have killed 30 people, left 20 missing and affected thousands across the Indian Ocean island nation, according to a provisional assessment on Monday.

Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said the storm made landfall in the northeast of the island last Thursday and affected some 89,000 people.

Madagascar’s meteorological agency said the storm, which has now passed across the country in the Mozambique Channel, packed winds of 105.63 mph and brought torrential rain.

Col. Fali Aritiana, of the risk and disaster office, said there have been house collapses and landslides that have trapped people.

Storm Cheneso hits Madagascar, and flooding is coming

“People are generally reacting in the right way, but some people are not paying enough attention to our warnings not to cross rivers in flood because the flow is much stronger than normal,” Aritiana said.

The storm has damaged infrastructure, with many roads cut off by rising waters, landslides and collapsed bridges.

A man steers his boat used by residents to navigate a flooded road in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on January 28, 2023. In Madagascar, Tropical Storm Cheneso killed 30 people and left 20 others missing.
(AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

About 33,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in the Boni region in the island’s northwest. Local people say that the prices of food items are skyrocketing.

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“The prices of vegetables and rice went up a lot after the storm,” said Veronique Mamitiana, a teacher in the town of Mahajanga, adding that the price of tomatoes quadrupled. “Traders say it is because the national road is cut,” he said.

Marovoy, 60 miles further south, was one of the areas hardest hit by the storm, with stagnant flood waters still affecting many areas. District chief Tolotriniana Rakotonindriana said the water level was receding very slowly.

landslides, and heavy rainfall.

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“Many houses are still under water and so most of the victims are still in residential areas,” Rakotonindriana said. “The roads are covered with water and we have to travel by canoe.”

Local officials said essential food supplies were being distributed to assist those in need.