Madagascar, southern Africa brace for more tropical storms

By WANJOHI KABUKURU
Associated Press

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Even as southern African nations assess the devastation caused earlier this month by Cyclone Batsirai, a new tropical storm is approaching as the Indian Ocean region is confronted by an intense cyclone season. The U.N.’s regional meteorology center in Reunion says that Tropical Storm Dumako is projected to slam into the northeastern coast of Madagascar Tuesday evening. Dumako, the fourth storm this year, is forecast to make landfall near Madagascar’s Antalaha town. The U.N. Meteorological Organization says that from eight to 12 more cyclones may hit southern Africa and nearby islands in the Indian Ocean before the cyclone season ends in May, part of an increase in recent years of extreme tropical storms in the Southern Hemisphere.