Suburban
THE schools’ sport calendar which was now reaching its peak with a number of fixtures of different sporting disciplines at most schools will this weekend suffer a setback as lessons and all sporting activities have been suspended as Cyclone Freddy approaches Zimbabwe.
On Thursday, Government directed schools in some provinces including Harare Metropolitan to suspend lessons on Friday February 24, 2023 and Saturday February 25, 2023 as a precautionary measure against flooding likely to result from Cyclone Freddy. Most schools’ sports fixtures are held on Fridays and Saturdays.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy is expected to be accompanied by heavy rains, flooding and storms which could put the lives of students and teachers in danger.
Schools from Harare Metropolitan Province, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Masvingo, Manicaland and Matabeleland South (parts bordering Masvingo) have been directed to suspend lessons on Friday when storm is expected to reach Zimbabwe.
In a statement, the Permanent Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Tumisang Thabela said Tropical Storm Freddy might bring heavy rains over eastern Zimbabwe and thereafter spread to other parts of the country from February 24 to 25, 2023.
“The above named areas have been placed on high alert and a result of this extreme weather likelihood, no pupils within the above named areas are to attend school or face to face instruction on Friday 24 February 2023.
“Student boarders are to remain in their hostels and continue with their studies via alternative learning modes from the confines of a safe environment.
“Heads of schools in these provinces are advised to exercise caution by notifying day pupils not to attend school on Friday 24 February 2023 or to attempt to cross flooded rivers,” said Mrs Thabela.
At least four people have died after a tropical cyclone battered Madagascar’s east coast, with heavy rain and powerful winds tearing roofs off houses and triggering a storm surge, BBC reported on Wednesday.
Cyclone Freddy made landfall on Tuesday, weeks after another tropical storm killed 33 and left thousands without shelter. Schools have been shut and traffic has been suspended in 10 regions.
Earlier, Freddy caused some damage in Mauritius, flooding beachside hotels.
The head of Madagascar’s National Office of Risk and Disaster Management told the BBC that “negligence” was to blame for the deaths.
“Despite the awareness that we spread. People still dare to ignore the instructions and the warnings,” said Elack Olivier Andrikaja, adding that three of the deaths happened when a home collapsed.
However, the mayor of Mananjary, one of the worst-affected towns, said the damage was not as bad as in previous cyclones because those living close to the river had been evacuated in time.
“We were better prepared this time,” Denis Franconio told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme. “Before the cyclone’s arrival, the authorities, especially the central government, took the necessary measures by distributing items like rice, clothes, kitchen materials for the people in need.”
However, he is worried about the future.
“People live on agriculture here and I am really concerned about famine because everything has been destroyed. First, people will need food urgently and secondly they will need seeds to ensure they can cultivate their crops.”
The Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar is particularly vulnerable to cyclones. It is hit by an average of 1.5 cyclones every year, the highest rate in Africa, according to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The cyclone slightly weakened once it made landfall on Madagascar, with wind gusts exceeding 130km/h (81mph). The country’s meteorological service warned that torrential rains would continue along its path.
“The sea remains very rough… and a significant risk of coastal flooding will continue overnight,” it said.
A 27-year-old man drowned near the port of Mahanoro before the storm made landfall, officials said.
Officials also said 7,000 people had been pre-emptively evacuated from the coastal region directly in Freddy’s path, and warnings waves could reach over 8m (26ft) were issued by the International Federation of Red Cross.
Some people used sandbags to weigh down their roofs as a precaution, but that did not stop the storm from ripping roofs off houses. – Suburban Reporter/BBC
