( Cyclone Batsirai Madagascar 2022)
Madagascar regularly experiences cyclones during the rainy season. However, on February 5 and 6, 2022, an unusual cyclone called Batsirai destroyed a large part of the coastal town of Mananjary before moving to the center of the island. The main hospital saw its roof torn off, its walls washed away, and was out of service. Nearly 125,000 people were affected by torrential rains and wind gusts of up to 230 km/h.
One month later, the city of Mananjary, which was hit hard by cyclone Batsirai, is rebuilding. The city is in effervescence, the sound of hammers and saws resound from all sides. I see the radiant smiles of the inhabitants in front of their destroyed houses. I can’t believe how quickly life is resuming, like an unthinkable rage to exist, now, and quickly. They gather the few things they have left, sort out the metal sheets that they will be able to put back on their roofs, repair the foundations of the collapsed huts. With the help of neighbors and the support of their families, an incredible amount of activity is taking place in the city in order to return to “normal” life as quickly as possible.
Faced with this catastrophe, once again, the Malagasy people amaze me by their immediate ability to adapt to the worst.
The good days will come again…
Good times will come again…
Christian Barbé mars 2022
In the wake of cyclone Batsirai, the Madagascan town of Mananjary is rebuilding...