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STORM STORY 24-25

Cyclone Gafilo Did you know?

Cyclone Gafilo was Gonu means ‘a bag made of palm leaves’ in
the strongest cyclone Dhivehi, the language of the Maldives.
over the South West
Indian Ocean.

It had wind speeds of
260 kilometres per hour
while over water.

It struck the north- Hi! My name
eastern coast of is Gonu too!
Madagascar in March
2004. A total of 363
people lost their lives.
Two hundred thousand
people lost their homes.

Cyclone Jokwe

In March 2008, Cyclone Jokwe passed over Madagascar as a tropical storm. It then
became stronger as it passed over the warm ocean waters. It struck Mozambique
with high winds and destroyed nine thousand houses. Much of the crops
growing in the fields were also damaged. There was no electricity for days.

What does a cyclone do?

An intense cyclone causes a lot of
destruction. Strong winds topple
houses, uproot trees, bend
electric poles, and even throw
people and animals high into the

air. The roads and railway lines
remain waterlogged. There is no
electricity, so homes cannot be lit,
refrigerators do not work, and lifts
cannot be operated.