ANTANANARIVO: According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN, Madagascar's government, and partner agencies are preparing for the potentially disastrous effects of tropical cyclone Batsirai, which is expected to hit the island nation on Saturday (OCHA).

According to reports, Batsirai is predicted to appear in the area between Mahanoro and Mananjary.

Because of the combination of strong winds and exceptionally heavy rains, the landfall could be deadly for some of the island nation's most populated areas, according to OCHA.

Batsirai blew through Mauritius, leaving 1,600 houses without power and one person dead. Madagascar's preparedness preparations are ramping up, and the government has begun conducting preemptive evacuations in Mahanoro and Nosy Varika. Flights scheduled for Friday and Saturday have been cancelled, as have schools.

According to the office, 85 districts are on yellow alert and seven are on green alert.

Communities expected to be affected by the storm are receiving messages created by Unicef and the government's disaster management agency on how to keep safe and avoid risk.

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