Tropical Storm Chalane made landfall in Madagascar on 27 December, bringing heavy wind and rains, but limited damage, according to preliminary reports.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report of 28 December that the storm caused some isolated flooding and damage to electricity poles, but no significant damage.
Madagascar’s disaster agency, Bureau National de Gestion des Risques et des Catastrophes (BNGRC) reported some evacuations after minor flooding in the port city of Toamasina (also known as Tamatave) in the eastern Atsinanana Region.
Toamasina recorded 351mm of rain in 24 hours to 27 December 2020. Maintirano in the northwestern Melaky Region recorded 131mm of rain the following day.
Chalane weakened to a Tropical Depression as it crossed Madagascar, although heavy rainfall is expected to continue. The storm moved away from Madagascar and over the Mozambique Channel on 28 December, heading towards Mozambique.
OCHA said that predictions indicate that Chalane could strengthen before it makes landfall in Mozambique. The weather system could subsequently move towards Zimbabwe and Botswana, OCHA warned.
Update: According to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) in Mozambique, the storm had affected a total of 73,500 people and caused seven deaths across the provinces of Sofala, Manica and Zambezia, as of 08 January 2021.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said nearly 5,000 families in 52 resettlement sites in Manica and Sofala provinces were affected. It is not clear if this was a result of wind damage or flooding.
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