UN deploys emergency teams to areas hit hard by deadly cyclone in Madagascar

 

Humanitarian organizations are continuing to support Madagascar in the wake of Cyclone Batsirai which hammered the island nation this past weekend, the UN said on Thursday.

The storm left 92 people dead and has affected another 112,000, and 17,000 homes have been damaged, this is according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.

Speaking in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists that emergency response teams are deploying to the hardest-hit areas, in support of the Government-led response. “Additional staff from the UN and NGOs have landed in Madagascar to support relief efforts, thanks to the European Union, which has facilitated the necessary humanitarian air bridge,” he said.

UN agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as their aid partners have been the ramping-up response in close coordination with government counterparts.

Cyclone Batsirai struck the eastern coast of Madagascar late on Saturday, making it the second deadly storm in just two weeks, following the passage of Cyclone Ana in the north.

In addition to hot meal distributions by WFP, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and sister agency the UN sexual and reproductive health fund, UNFPA, has been providing protection activities.

Health partners have sent essential medicine, emergency health and first aid kits, mosquito nets, and COVID-19 prevention materials to the areas affected by the cyclone, he added.

They have also set up emergency medical posts at the temporary accommodation sites for displaced people.