Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

FROM THE FIELD

Madagascar: Red Cross assists victims of cyclone
25 Feb 2008 16:56:00 GMT
Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland
By Mbolatiana Ranaivomanana, Malagasy Red Cross Society

Website: Website: http://www.ifrc.org

218536 logo
A total of 140 volunteers were mobilized by Malagasy Red Cross in seven districts in the eastern part of the country. (p17323)
Previous | Next
A total of 140 volunteers were mobilized by Malagasy Red Cross in seven districts in the eastern part of the country. (p17323)
As Madagascar continued to recover from destruction brought by cyclone Fame in late December 2007, another cyclone - Ivan - hit the island on 17 February. With winds of up to 230 kilometres per hour, Ivan caused major damage and many casualties, especially in the country's east.

According to the latest figures released by the National Office of Disaster Preparedness, 44 people were killed by Ivan, with 478 people injured and 17 still unaccounted for. In all, 210,852 were directly affected, with 147,719 left homeless. Approximately 15,880 hectares of rice paddy was also destroyed along with more than 40,000 hectares of other crops.

Malagasy Red Cross volunteers were mobilized as soon alert about the cyclone was first raised on 15 February. Sensitization campaigns took place before the cyclone made landfall, with volunteers going house-to-house to tell local communities how to act before, during and after the storm.

After Ivan hit, the same volunteers were also involved in emergency operations and in evaluating the storm's damage. Other more specialised teams also went into action to conduct more detailed evaluations. A total of 140 volunteers were mobilized by Malagasy Red Cross in seven districts in the eastern part of the country.

Besides evaluating damages, the Malagasy Red Cross also received extra help from the French Red Cross which mobilized its regional intervention platform in the Indian Ocean (PIROI) to provide major logistical support. Twelve tonnes of material was sent from the main centre on La Reunion Island, including tarpaulins, tool kits, generators, water tablets and other emergency items.

Some of these supplies were sent to Sainte Marie to help local communities and authorities begin to recover. The city of Sainte Marie, on the country's east coast, was one of the regions most severely hit by cyclone Ivan with 14 people injured, 16, 530 affected people, 9,626 losing their homes. There are also a total of 186 flooded houses and 3,464 roofless houses. Other supplies will be distributed in other areas following the outcome of ongoing assessments.

Also in the eastern part of the country, the Malagasy president made a donation of 8 millions of ariary (about 4,700 Swiss francs) to Malagasy Red Cross local branches along with 20 tonnes of rice. Thanks to this, the Red Cross has been able to distribute emergency items to 1,207 families, with each family receiving 16 kilograms of rice, 500 grams of salt, 1.5 litres of oil, two bars of soap, a candles and a lighter.

In other areas, including in the western part of the island, the Red Cross helped with medical screening of affected people as well as housing and helping to distribute food being provided by other agencies.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will shortly release funds from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to support Malagasy Red Cross in its emergency operation.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]


Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Floods

MORE >>

Emergencies

•  Cyclone Ivan

MORE >>

Members

•  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Madagascar: Red Cross assists victims of cyclone
IFRC - Switzerland

•  CARE Leads Response as Thousands in Madagascar Affected Cyclone Ivan
CARE International - UK

•  Aid for families hit by Philippines floods
Plan UK

•  Red Cross unites to support southern Africa
Red Cross - UK

•  West Central Africa: the Red Cross mobilizes against meningitis
IFRC - Switzerland

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Nigeria's stability hinges on presidential ruling

•  VIDEO: Floods kill 20 in the Philippines

•  PREVIEW-Nigeria's stability hinges on presidential ruling

•  Kosovo border creeps south, for 24 hours

•  Kosovo border creeps south, for 24 hours

MORE >>

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-24T020929Z_01_QUI02_RTRIDSP_2_ECUADOR-FLOODS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/QUI02.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-24T020541Z_01_QUI03_RTRIDSP_2_ECUADOR-FLOODS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/QUI03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-23T081520Z_01_MAN01_RTRIDSP_2_PHILIPPINES-FLOOD_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAN01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-23T032328Z_01_JWV04_RTRIDSP_2_COLOMBIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JWV04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-23T025741Z_01_JWV01_RTRIDSP_2_COLOMBIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JWV01.htm

An aerial view of a flooded area in Babahoyo February 23, 2008. Torrential rains have flooded several coastal cities in Ecuador. REUTERS/Stringer (ECUADOR) ...



Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Mon Feb 25 17:13:54 2008