2000 жылғы Леон-Элин тайфуны: Мадагаскар мен Мозамбиктің апатты су тасқыны

Australian and South West Indian cyclone in 2000

Intense Tropical Cyclone Leon–Eline was the second longest lived cyclone in the Indian Ocean, behind Cyclone Freddy, traveling over during its 29 day track through the Indian Ocean, throughout the month of February. The cyclone formed on 1 February 2000, in the Australian basin as Tropical Cyclone Leon, and was renamed Eline after crossing 90° E into the South West Indian Ocean; there, the Météo France office in Réunion (MFR) tracked the storm's movement and intensity. Late on 17 February, Eline made landfall near Mahanoro, Madagascar, with 10‑minute winds of The storm rapidly weakened over land, but restrengthened in the Mozambique Channel to reach peak 10‑minute winds of , making it an intense tropical cyclone. On 22 February, Eline made landfall about south of Beira, Mozambique, near peak intensity. Eline quickly weakened over land as it moved across Southern Africa, finally dissipating over eastern Namibia on 29 February. While moving across much of the Indian Ocean, Eline brought high waves, gusty winds, and rainfall to several islands. When Eline struck Madagascar, the country was in the midst of a cholera epidemic that killed over 1,000 people. Eline directly killed at least 64 people in the country. Tropical Storm Gloria struck Madagascar 13 days later, compounding the damage and making it difficult to discern the individual effects. Damage from Eline was estimated at $9 million (USD), and collectively the two storms killed 205 people and left another 10,000 homeless. In the region around Vatomandry where Eline made landfall, 65% of houses were damaged, 90% of crops were lost, and 75% of health facilities were wrecked. Before Eline's final landfall, Mozambique's worst floods since 1951 had killed about 150 people. The additional rainfall and flooding from Eline created the country's worst natural disaster in a century, and disrupted ongoing relief efforts. The combined effects destroyed over of crop fields and killed 40,000 cattle. The Limpopo River reached wide and above normal in some areas, which isolated the town of Xai Xai. A dam broke along the river, flooding the town of Chokwe in the middle of the night and trapping several unprepared residents; this accounted for nearly half of the death toll. About 55 people drowned in Sofala Province after rescue helicopters arrived too late to save them. Around 20,000 people in the capital city of Maputo lost their homes. In addition to the floods, strong winds blew away many roofs and some entire houses made of mud. The combined effects of the preceding floods and Eline left about 329,000 people displaced or homeless, killed around 700 people, and caused an estimated $500 million (USD) in damage. The flooding disrupted much of the economic progress Mozambique had made in the 1990s since the end of its civil war. Elsewhere in Southern Africa, Eline brought strong winds and heavy rainfall when it crossed into eastern Zimbabwe. Rivers overflowed their banks in the country, damaging crops and houses while leaving 15,000 people homeless. The storm killed 12 people in the country. Flooding from the storm extended southward into Swaziland and South Africa. In the latter country, Eline dropped of rainfall in Levubu over three days, causing the Limpopo River to reach its highest level in 15 years. Officials opened dams along the river to prevent structural damage, which caused higher levels along the river to the east. At least 21 people died in the country, and about 80,000 people were left homeless. Damage in Limpopo Province alone was estimated at $300 million (USD). To the north, Eline dropped about of rainfall in southern Malawi, while gusty winds caused a power outage in Blantyre. Farther west, rainfall rates of were reported in Botswana.

The origins of Cyclone Leon–Eline were from a surge of energy within the monsoon trough that crossed the equator from the northwest, which spawned a low pressure area on 1 February in the eastern Indian Ocean, about south of the Indonesian island of Bali. Associated convection, or thunderstorms, was initially sparse due to wind shear in the region. Over the next few days, the low tracked west southwestward without much development, moving around a large ridge over northwestern Australia. An anticyclone over the system provided outflow, allowing convection to increase despite the wind shear. At 22:00 UTC on 3 February, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) upgraded the tropical low to a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone scale, estimating 10‑minute sustained winds of At 04:00 UTC the next day, the BoM named the storm Tropical Cyclone Leon. On the same day at 03:00 UTC, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began issuing advisories on the storm as Tropical Cyclone 11S. Around that time, Leon was located about south southeast of Christmas Island, moving west southwestward. With decreasing wind shear, the convection organized into rainbands, signaling that the storm was strengthening. Early on 5 February, the BoM upgraded Leon to a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, estimating 10‑minute winds of At 22:00 UTC that day, the agency estimated an initial peak of On 6 February, the cyclone developed an eye in the center of the convection that was only visible on Special sensor microwave/imager, not on satellite imagery. A trough passing to the south increased wind shear, causing the storm to weaken. The MFR noted that Eline was the strongest cyclone to strike the nation in several decades. In Mahanoro, the biggest city near the cyclone's landfall in Madagascar, Eline disrupted power and water supplies while also leaving the town isolated. Nationwide, the storm left about 10,000 people homeless, with about 1,500 people forced to stay in storm shelters. Damage to public buildings was estimated at $300,000 (2000 USD). Nationwide, Eline killed at least 64 people and affected about a half million people affected. although there was initial uncertainty in the toll due to disrupted communications. Floods from the two storm inundated 70% of homes and wrecked 70% of the crops in the districts of Andapa, Sambava, Antalaha, and Vohemar. About 12,000 people in 114 villages were isolated. Rice fields were flooded for over a week, and coffee and banana crops had severe losses. Collectively, 12,230 people were left without access to clean water.

Before Eline struck Mozambique, storm warnings and later hurricane warnings were issued on 21 February. and about 150 people killed. Eline moved ashore with very powerful winds, although there were no direct observations of the strongest winds. In Beira, the closest major city to the landfall point, winds reached storm force. However, the rainfall from Eline was the most impacting following the preexisting flooding, which were the worst since 1951. and by the end of February 2000, the situation was considered the country's worst natural disaster in a century. Flooding continued for days after Eline moved through southern Africa due to waters flowing downstream from neighboring countries. ponds of contaminated water, and piles of rotten corpses. While Eline moved ashore, high winds knocked over coconut trees, The floods killed 30% of the cows in Gaza Province, Many schools were closed after the storm, including 308 due to damage and others that housed storm victims. The storm knocked over telegraph power lines and caused widespread power and water outages from Inhambane to Beira, while also disrupting ongoing relief efforts. The cities of Chokwe, Chibuto, and Xai Xai all had damage to their water systems. After the storm knocked over 90 power poles, and two people were killed due to downed power lines. Flooding damaged the World Food Program warehouse in the city. Also in Beira, the combination of strong winds and waves sank five ships in the harbor, including one at the entrance; this halted port traffic for about two weeks. and damaged several other roads and rail lines, halting the region's economy by preventing movement of goods. About of the rail line between Maputo and Zimbabwe was under water. The swollen Limpopo River isolated the town of Xai Xai after all connecting roads and the airport were inundated, and the bridge connecting the rest of the region to the south was damaged. which broke the record for highest crest by A dam broke along the river, flooding the town of Chokwe in the middle of the night and trapping several unprepared residents. Flooding there surpassed the previous water depth record by , set in 1977, thus inundating the town up to ceiling of one story buildings. In nearby Nova Mambone, thousands of people became homeless due to storm flooding, killing at least ten people. About 55 people drowned in Sofala Province after rescue helicopters arrived too late to save them. Around 20,000 people in the capital city of Maputo lost their homes. leaving thousands of people homeless. Overall, the preceding floods and Eline caused about 700 deaths, with damage estimated at $500 million (2000 USD).

The MFR issued a gale warning for Zimbabwe in anticipation of strong winds well inland. However, the Zimbabwe government did not issue any storm warnings until the storm moved over the country. Flooding also washed away roads, bridges, and some power lines. Overall the storm killed 12 people in the country. Officials opened dams along the Limpopo River to prevent structural damage, which caused higher levels along the river to the east. However, 16 dams failed in the country, causing further damage to irrigation systems. and about 80,000 people were left homeless, forcing many people into churches and schools. Damage in Limpopo Province alone was estimated at $300 million (USD), with crop damage estimated at $11 million. Farther west, rainfall rates of were also reported in Botswana.

Immediately after Eline struck Madagascar, the government began distributing relief items, such as rice, tents, and sheets. On 21 February, survey flights helped indicate the extent of damage across the nation. The government of France sent two helicopters with teams of doctors to Madagascar, and Médecins Sans Frontières sent about 35 tons of supplies, such as medicine, water purifying devices, and food. The World Food Programme flew about 400 tons of food to affected residents across the country, including 25 tons to Mahanoro. Due to the combined impacts of Eline and Gloria, the government of Madagascar requested for international assistance on March 7, which was coordinated through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In response, the government of the United Kingdom donated £1.3 million (US$1.9 million) to Madagascar. The Organisation of African Unity donated $200,000 to Madagascar on March 10. In addition to Cyclone Gloria striking the country in March, Cyclone Hudah hit eastern Madagascar in early April, causing additional deaths and damage. Although Botswana was affected by the floods, their government was able to provide food and relief to the storm victims. In South Africa, families were forced to keep corpses in their houses due to the ongoing flooding. The country's government authorized R7.1 million (ZAR, US$1.1 million) to pay for emergency assistance. The country of Australia donated $250,000 to assist relief work in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.

By the time Eline struck Mozambique, there was already incoming assistance from the international community, responding to the earlier flooding. and later increasing the request to $160 million. By the end of February 2000, various countries had pledged $13.5 million to Mozambique, well short of the required needs, but that rose to nearly $119 million by March 17. By March 4, 39.6 tons of various relief goods reached the country, to be distributed from the towns of Bilene and Magul. The supplies nearly overwhelmed the small airport at Maputo, as lack of distribution caused food to decay in the sun. In some locations, the floodwaters were so strong that boats were unable to operate search and rescue missions. Residents left homeless by the storm were forced to stay in churches and schools, although some residents in the country's capital, Maputo, provided a spare bedroom. Citizens in the city also provided clothing to those who lost their homes in the flood. About 2,000 residents from the flooded town of Chokwe walked to receive shelter in Macie. Following the storm, the residual floodwaters contributed to outbreaks of malaria and cholera, with malaria infections at four times the usual rate killing at least 11 people. Areas in southern Mozambique also lost access to clean water, furthering dehydration and illnesses. In addition, the United Nations Mine Action Service expressed concern that the floods shifted the locations of landmines left over from the nation's civil war. Later, the remnants of Cyclone Gloria halted relief work due to heavy rainfall. The World Food Programme approved $2 million to help airlifting 53,000 metric tons of food. A fleet of 29 helicopters had rescued 14,204 people by March 7 as well as operating airlifting missions. This included 12 planes and helicopters from South Africa, six helicopters with crews along with 100 motorboats from the United Kingdom, ten helicopters from Germany, and two from Malawi. Many residents in flooded areas initially had to hold onto trees and roofs due to lack of helicopters, with 100,000 people needing rescue as of March 1. After the floodwaters receded, the need for rescue diminished, allowing families to return home, although helicopters were still required to airlift relief goods. The United States sent a crew of 700 soldiers in what became Task Force Atlas Response, a $37 million operation to coordinate disaster relief, rebuild roads, deliver crop seed, and drop off aid. This was ordered by U. S. President Bill Clinton on March 2 after criticism that the international assistance was insufficient. The Save the Children organization helped reunited separated children from their families, The United Kingdom assisted by canceling the country's $150 million debt earlier than scheduled, and urged other nations to follow suit; Italy canceled its $500 million debt in March. On 24 February, the World Bank provided $2.5 million to rebuild roads, and later provided an additional $15 million. The same agency delayed debt payments for one year. Portugal and Spain canceled $150 million and $20 million worth of debt, respectively.