Madagascar: UNICEF To Help Victims Of Deadly Cyclone

New York, Feb 14 2012 1:10PM

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today that it has pre-positioned enough emergency supplies to assist 100,000 people in Madagascar, where a tropical cyclone has made landfall, bringing torrential rains and intense winds.

At least two people have been confirmed killed since Cyclone Giovanna struck Madagascar’s eastern coast, just south of the port of Toamasina, earlier today, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.

The cyclone – which included winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour – is weakening as it crosses the country but has already caused significant damage to public infrastructure. Several parts of Antananarivo, the capital, are without water, electricity or telephone services.

Marixie Mercado, a spokesperson for UNICEF, told journalists in Geneva that assessment teams were yet to go out because the weather conditions were still too dangerous, but aid agencies and disaster teams were hoping to carry out assessments later today.

Ms. Mercado said that the agency had pre-positioned assistance for 100,000 people, with UNICEF staff also in place along the route the cyclone was taking.

She warned that the country already faced high malnutrition rates, particularly children, and relatively low levels of access to fresh water and decent sanitation.

Madagascar is frequently faced with cyclones and tropical storms in the early months of the year. Giovanna’s arrival is exactly a year to the day since Madagascar was struck by Cyclone Bingiza, which killed 14 people and destroyed almost 6,000 homes.
Feb 14 2012 1:10PM
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