HEAVY RAIN – Cities in the North and Northeast flooded

The rains are relentless in the North-East. Vohémar, Sambava and Antalaha are under water.

The daily lives of residents of the Sava region are disrupted by the heavy rains falling in the North-East, with the presence of the strong tropical storm Gamane nearby. They find themselves with their feet in the water to get around their homes or to cross their neighborhood. A cumulative rainfall of 300 mm would have fallen in the Sava region.

The water level rose in several neighborhoods of Vohémar, Sambava and Antalaha yesterday. “It is at hip level in Andranomasikely I, the neighborhood most hit by flooding in Vohémar. In Ampanefena, another district of Vohémar, forty-five people joined an accommodation site this morning (editor’s note: yesterday morning). There are only fifteen left this afternoon. The others returned home or joined their families,” reports the Gendarmerie.

In Sambava, “the water level continues to rise. It invaded houses,” communicates the Gendarmerie.

Between these two districts, traffic is cut. A 200-meter section of road is swallowed up by water, preventing vehicles from traveling, at kilometer point 169, on the RN5 A. The situation is no better in Antalaha, where all the low-lying neighborhoods are hit by flooding . As of this writing, there have been no deaths, no missing people, no homes destroyed, and very few people displaced in shelter sites, according to local authorities. . It has been raining heavily in the North-East for three days. The problem of water evacuation in this region, caused by canals blocked by waste and illegal construction, would encourage the rise of water levels. The worst is to be feared. Gamane will continue to bring rain to this region, according to forecasts.

Evacuations

The Director General of the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management, General Elack Andriankaja, invites residents of risk areas in this region as well as those of the Maroantsetra district to leave their homes and join accommodation sites, the as soon as possible. “Sambava could be hit by strong winds and Antalaha and Maroantsetra by floods,” he warns. Until yesterday evening, no one left their homes, despite the rising waters and the authorities’ efforts to raise awareness. “They refuse to leave their homes for fear that someone will come and vandalize them when they are not there,” the sources explain. Law enforcement and the Civil Protection Corps are preparing to carry out evacuations with the means at hand, in case the water level continues to rise.

The risk of direct impact from Gamane on our coasts is becoming high. It should skirt the coast of Sava, or even land in the town of Sambava this afternoon or overnight, at least at tropical cyclone stage, according to weather forecasts. At this point, the average wind will be 150 to 165 km/h. And it is forecast to bring heavy rains of more than 80 mm per hour to the Diana, Sava and Analanjirofo areas until March 28. Widespread flooding and landslides will be feared in vulnerable areas of these regions. The center of Gamane was positioned 130 km northeast of Vohémar yesterday at 3 p.m., at the stage of a strong tropical storm.

Miangalya Ralitera