Cyclone Haruna, Tulear City taking the beating under water

 “we watched human bodies, young and old, washed away by water waves, and could do nothing. Some of our relatives have no more given any sign of life. We have spent the night hung up on trees” declared a victim living in Tulear, still in state of shock following the scourge which affected the city as never again during the latest 35 years.

Tulear City has been undergoing some serious floods caused by the wild vagaries of the weather. Sewers proved not large enough, and, in the end, the town planning as a whole was no match for winds and rains of such an intensity. Not to mention that the existing facilities were far from getting the standard treatment supposed to make them fit for service. The cyclone Haruna hit the city during the week end on February 23rd 2013 and drowned it under water. Merely the roof emerged from a four wheel drive parked outside. Water levels reached more than one meter and a half in the most seriously affected areas.

Anketraky, Andalavay, Antaninarenina, Andaboly, Ambohitsabo, Antongobory, Ankenga, Ankifolo, Ankabo, Antaravay barely escaped Atlantis’ fate. Making through the city streets requires dugouts and canoes; fishermen turned into this new age’s taxi cab and rickshaw drivers. The boldest ones make a judicious use of tires and swim through the streets. Walking still remains possible in the least affected districts, at least for grown up and tall people, for water levels merely reach their chest.

People have no roof over their head and no more shelter. They do what they can to save what is left of their goods. Most of the affected people had to evacuate their homes, and sought refuge on the closest higher ground. The Fiherenana river course is usually dry all year long. A wide bridge stands above a latest handful of streams. The storm revived the river nearly to an unprecedented scale in history which could simply not be unnoticed.

This disaster equally happens to be the evidence of how dangerous the poorly packed up projects actually are. Used up ducts failed to have been replaced during the restoration of used up roads or the construction of new ones, poorly built dams, unsuitable sewers and sea water levels regularly toying with the city streets were all factors to an inevitable shipwreck for sun city. For over twenty years, the dam held on against the delta’s rather scarce outbreak of wrath. No one expected it to be overcome at all.

Emergency measures cannot be capitalized

In response to the upheaval which affected Tulear city, the transitional leader took a step towards the local population. No cheerful welcome scheduled this time around, Andry Rajoelina came to observe the situation. The ruling power releases 1.2 millions of Euros to put Tulear city back on its feet. The recovery of a regular water and electricity supply is the top priority.

The Public Work Ministry is certainly not in the best position to react accordingly. Instead, it borrowed some 300 Millions of local Ariary from the BAD bank to keep up. Only the restoration of dams and sewers is deemed to reach 5 billions of Ariary. Proceeding to the first aid measures, namely securing the drilled dam, must wait for the water to retire. It did on Monday, a couple of days after the decay; water levers only reach half a meter by now in certain areas. The fact that water keeps washing things away on when retiring to the sea, remains a significant cause for concerns.

The threat posed by the Fiherenanana river’s delta has not yet withered, for the hole in the dam cannot yet be accessed to. Tulear city’s inhabitants fearfully dread the possible come back of any rainfall which could unleash another nightmare. The never sleeping city is not likely to enjoy any peaceful sleep for a longer while