Published on May 4, 2024 at 3:08 p.m.
It is the most powerful cyclone ever observed in this region. And it targets Dar es Salaam, a city of nearly 6 million people.
An area already flooded
In nearly 115 years, Tanzania had only been hit by a cyclone four times. On each occasion, there was talk of a modest tropical storm. Strong storms usually make landfall further south. Madagascar and Mozambique usually suffer the heaviest declines. Saturday morning, a fifth cyclone made landfall in Tanzania, and it promises to be most devastating. Already, this region of eastern Africa has been affected by significant flooding. Kenya, Burundi and Tanzania have seen heavy rains hit several areas in recent weeks. In Kenya alone, 180 deaths are reported due to floods.
In the heart of the city
And now Hidaya, the 9th cyclone of the season in the Indian Ocean basin, has targeted the 10th most populous city in Africa: Dar es Salaam, which has nearly 6 million inhabitants. More than 200 mm of rain is expected over the next 48 hours. The island of Zanzibar, off the coast of this large city, is isolated, with ferry service having been stopped for the time being. There are already numerous breakdowns, caused among other things by winds of more than 120 km/h.
A very first time
Hidaya could then continue on his way to Kenya. This would be the very first time since cyclone data was compiled, around 1911, that a cyclone would reach this country. Along the coast of this region, flooding and landslides are expected. The city of Mombasa in Kenya, which has more than a million inhabitants, could be spared from the cyclone, but not from the heavy rains.
With the collaboration of Alexandra Giroux, meteorologist
