A powerful tropical cyclone struck Madagascar over the weekend, bringing extreme winds and torrential downpours. The storm has killed at least seven people and forced thousands from their homes.
The Guardian reported that Tropical Cyclone Fytia whipped up winds of 90 mph on the island country and produced nearly 6 inches of rain in the hardest-hit areas. "Over 20,000 people have been displaced," according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "Access to the hardest-hit areas remains severely constrained."
The storm rapidly intensified with winds quickly climbing from 45 mph to 115 mph in just 24 hours. Stronger gusts from the storm reached 130 mph Saturday. Fytia weakened into a tropical storm as it swept across Madagascar.
"Meteorological and disaster monitoring systems classified the cyclone as having medium humanitarian impact potential, given population exposure, underlying vulnerabilities, and hazard intensity," noted ReliefWeb's report on the storm. "Forecast models indicate continued elevated rainfall totals across parts of the country and the potential for ongoing impacts as the system moves away from land."
The U.N. lists Madagascar as the fourth-most-vulnerable country in the world to the impacts of our overheating planet.
"It is recurrently hit by droughts and cyclones that are increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity due to climate change," according to a U.N. report. "These effects mainly impact the south and southeast of the country. Building the resilience of individuals, communities, and institutions to the effects of droughts and cyclones, including through climate change adaptation, is the only sustainable solution."
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In a November report published by UNICEF, the agency warned that "the climate crisis is also a crisis for children's rights." The report stated that by 2050, an estimated 28 million additional children may endure severe malnutrition without urgent intervention.
"The consequences begin at birth: Every additional degree of global warming increases the risk of premature birth or stillbirth by 5%," as noted by the report's authors. "The climate crisis is therefore not a distant issue, but an immediate threat to the lives, health, and well-being of children."
In addition to the threat of tropical cyclones, Madagascar faces a rising risk of deadly heat waves. A report from the World Meteorological Organization warned that global temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels over the next five years. It also stated that as our world continues to warm, we can continue to expect more extreme climate events.
"South Madagascar is particularly vulnerable to impacts of heat waves, as food and agricultural systems are likely to collapse under high temperatures and compounding drought conditions and frequent, highly destructive cyclones," researchers with World Weather Attribution stated. They also note that across sub-Saharan Africa, heat waves are vastly underreported, leaving many unaware of the risks. Without targeted investments in adaptation, heat-related deaths could quadruple by 2080.
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Scientists have linked ongoing droughts in southern Madagascar to climate change, as rising global temperatures intensify El Niño events. Shorter, delayed rainy seasons threaten food security, prompting calls for adaptation measures like drought-resistant crops.
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