Floods in Antalaha , Madagascar, After Storm
© Madagascar Red CrossFloods in Antalaha , Madagascar, After Storm Eloise, 19 January 2021.
Tropical Cyclone Eloise formed over the Indian Ocean on 17 January and moved towards Madagascar, making landfall close to the coastal town of Antalaha in Antsiranana Province, on 19 January, with maximum sustained wind up to 95 kmh.

As of 20 January, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 1,000 people have been directly affected in Madagascar and more than 50 houses were destroyed, as Tropical Storm Eloise passed through Antalaha, Maroantsetra, Vavatenina and Toamasina districts. Quoting local sources, OCHA said 1 person was killed in the storm.

The storm flooded 134 houses and destroyed 56, while nearly 100 schools were impacted, including 87 that were damaged and 11 destroyed, OCHA added.


As it re-enters the Mozambique Channel, Eloise is expected to gain considerable strength before reaching Mozambique. OCAH said the cyclone will likely bring heavy downpours and flooding to regions of Mozambique that have already experienced significant rainfall in recent days.

The provinces of Inhambane, Manica, Niassa, Sofala, Tete and Zambezia have received between 200mm and 300mm of rains since 9 January, according to INAM, and are predicted to receive heavy rains in the days ahead. The Inhanombe and Mutamba basins in southern Mozambique are both at alert levels—in addition to the Buzi and Pungoe basins in central Mozambique—according to the latest update from National Directorate of Water Resource Management (DNGRH), released on 20 January.