Madagascar Mops Up Mess Left by Cyclone's Double Blow

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, March 19, 2004 (ENS) - Madagascar is prone to natural disasters, but this year has been more devastating than most for the island nation off South Africa's east coast. This month Cyclone Gafilo smashed the country - not just once but twice - claiming 74 lives and displacing some 200,000 people from their homes. It was the worst cyclone to hit the country in 20 years.

The Gafilo hit the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean island on March 7 and tracked northwards where it wiped out at least 60 percent of this year's bumper vanilla crop, the north's economic mainstay. Then the storm roared back on March 10 and hit the southwest.

The town of Antalaha lay directly in the path of 200 kilometer per hour (72 mph) winds. "There is barely a house in Antalaha that has not been damaged in some way," said Mike Huggins, UN World Food Programme spokesperson in Antananarivo.

"Some 419 people are living in tents pitched by the Red Cross on the town's football field," Huggins said. Food prices in the town are up more than 30 percent.

The lives and livelihoods of close to 800,000 Madagascans have been affected, the International Red Cross estimates. The aid agency is appealing for US$ 333,000 to support the Malagasy Red Cross in helping people in the south-western region of Morombé.

Much of Madagascar is still underwater, an environmental crisis threatens. (Photo courtesy World Food Programme)

The United Nations today launched a flash appeal to raise US$8.7 million to help the government of Madagascar address the urgent relief needs of some of the 309,500 people affected in various ways by Gafilo.

The government estimates that the total economic impact of the cyclone at more than US$250 million.

Access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation conditions has been impaired by the cyclone and flooding, increasing public health risks in the most affected areas.

At the best of times, the three provinces most damaged by the cyclone have poor rates of access to adequate water and sanitation facilities. Some 80 percent of households in Mahajanga, 74 percent in Toliara and 78 percent in Antsiranana access their water from surface sources and non-protected wells. Many communities rely on these shallow wells, which are easily contaminated in floods.

The UN warns that sanitation is likely to become an even more critical problem in these flooded areas, increasing the cases of diarrhea and other communicable diseases and the risk of a cholera outbreak.

"The international community must respond before people fall victim to poor sanitation, lack of food, or exposure to the elements," said Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. Initial estimates suggest some 200 schools and 200 health centers were damaged or destroyed.

"We have a small window of opportunity now to help people and lay the foundations for their recovery," Egeland said.

This satellite image taken on March 14 shows mud flowing into the Indian Ocean from floods along the northwestern coast of Madagascar. (Photo by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA)

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has appealed for about US $1.7 million to meet water and sanitation requirements, address the nutrition needs of children, and to provide shelter, blankets, and educational supplies.

UNICEF's response will also seek to ensure that children are inoculated against measles and other childhood diseases and that people have access to malaria prevention and treatment.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in partnership with Catholic Relief Services has appealed for US$1.1 million for seeds to enable farmers to replant as soon as possible while the World Health Organization needs some US$106,000 to procure urgent required medical supplies and to improve and restore medical facilities.

In the severely hit communities, Catholic Relief Services will provide basic water and sanitation material for 8,000 households. UNICEF will cover the water and sanitation needs of an additional 14,000 households and provide calcium hypochlorite for 150 community wells.

The United Nations Development Programme requires US$69,900 to reinforce the coordination capacity of the government.

Past investment by the international community to support national capacity for disaster management has been well used, says the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs. Warning mechanisms allowed some people in the cyclone's path to escape the danger zone this year.

But Gafilo struck at a time when the island country was most vulnerable. Madagascar is still recovering from cyclone Elita, which hit the island three times between January 26 and February 4, killing 29 people and leaving over others 44,000 homeless.