Cyclone Batsirai: Residents find shelter as Madagascar braces for flooding

Antananarivo residents took refuge in emergency shelters on Feb. 5 as Madagascar braced itself for tropical cyclone Batsirai.

The storm was packing average wind speeds of 167 km/h and it eye measured than to 40 km in diameter, according to the French national meteorological agency.

There are fears the storm could deliver another ravaging blow to the island nation, still reeling from last month's cyclone Ana that left at least 58 people dead.

The storm, set to be more powerful than Ana with heavy rainfall and winds up to 200 km/h, is projected to drive up to 150,000 people from their homes in addition to some 130,000 people displaced by the last cyclone.

Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said he expected a "significant humanitarian impact" and said that teams were stocking up on supplies and readying aircraft to assess future damage.

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