What is Cyclone Freddy Hitting Africa and How Dangerous is It?

In recent years, East African island nations have often become victims of cyclones. Madagascar and Mauritius were struck by Cyclone Freddy starting on Monday, February 20, with more countries expected to be affected, according to French forecaster Meteo-France.

A strong tropical cyclone dubbed Freddy, which has caused a powerful storm ripping the roofs off houses, has struck the eastern coast of Madagascar, leaving four people dead, the country's disaster management authorities stated on February 22.

Earlier this week, Freddy passed Mauritius, causing floods and gale force winds, according to Meteo-France. The country was the first African nation to experience the consequences of the cyclone.

Madagascar was the second, with many people vanishing from streets pending the cyclone's approach.

"There are no more people on the streets," Mialy Caren Ramanantoanina, regional spokeswoman for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said, as cited by the media, adding that many people were looking for a haven in 35 safe shelters set up across the city, with residents living in big houses also taking in neighbors.

The cyclone has already caused at least four deaths, with one of the victims identified as a 27-year-old man who drowned near Mahanoro Port, the National Office of Risks and Disasters said.

According to UN World Food Program (WFP) estimations, more than 2.3 million people in Madagascar could be affected by the cyclone, which is projected to pass through Mozambique and Zimbabwe in continental Africa.

Mozambique is forecast to take a direct hit by Friday, according to the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), with estimations that around 500,000 people could be affected.

What is Cyclone Freddy and Why is It so Dangerous?

Freddy is a cyclone with strong winds of up to 180 km per hour (about 111 miles per hour), resulting in waves higher than 15 meters (about 49 feet) battering coastal areas. It is expected to dump heavy rain and bring powerful winds to areas it approaches, as stated by Meteo-France.

Freddy was labeled as "dangerous'' by the United Nations weather agency on Monday, February 20.

In terms of damage, the tropical cyclone is equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, according to the five-point Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, Category 4 hurricanes cause serious damage – with well-built framed houses losing most of the roof structure and/or some of the exterior walls and most trees and energy poles knocked over. Such hurricanes make residential areas isolated and cause power outages – as a result, the affected area is uninhabitable for a number of weeks or even months.

Has There Been Anything as Dangerous as Freddy Hitting Africa?

Cyclone Freddy may be compared to one that hit Madagascar a year ago, according to senior local risk management official Faly Aritiana Fabien.

"It's a dry cyclone compared to Batsirai, so it brought less rains, but the winds were stronger, this [is] why infrastructure was badly affected," he stated.

In February 2022, the deadly tropical Cyclone Batsirai heavily impacted Madagascar. The storm left the country's coastal town of Mananjary devastated and claimed the lives of about 130.

One Mananjary resident, Pascal Salle, grieved as he assessed the damage left by the cyclone, from which he has hardly recovered.

"I didn't think there was a more powerful cyclone than Batsirai [...] My fence is down, my 1,000-liter plastic water tank smashed against the neighbor's wall [...] I can't take this every year, it's not possible," Pascal Salle said.