UN LAUNCHES APPEAL TO AID MADAGASCAR CYCLONE VICTIMS

UN LAUNCHES APPEAL TO AID MADAGASCAR CYCLONE VICTIMS

(Reissued as received.)

ANTANANARIVO, 19 March (UN Information Service) -- The United Nations today launched a flash appeal to raise $8.7 million to assist the Government of Madagascar to address the urgent relief needs of some 309,500 people affected by Cyclone Gafilo, which struck Madagascar twice in the last 10 days.

“The international community must respond before people fall victim to poor sanitation, lack of food, or exposure to the elements”, said Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.  “We have a small window of opportunity now to help people and lay the foundations for their recovery.  I urge donors to support this appeal quickly.”

Cyclone Gafilo was the worst cyclone to hit the country in 20 years.  It killed 74 people and damaged more than 117,000 hectares of agriculturally productive land.  Initial estimates suggest some 200 schools and 200 health centres were also damaged or destroyed.  The Government estimates that the total economic impact of the cyclone is more than $250 million.

The United Nations flash appeal for Madagascar is designed to meet the immediate requirements of the most affected population for the next three months.  As people’s ability to feed themselves has been seriously affected, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) seeks $5.6 million through the appeal to feed up to 110,000 people for the months ahead.  The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has appealed for about $1.7 million to meet water and sanitation requirements, address the nutritional needs of children, and to provide shelter, blankets, and educational supplies.  The 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 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has appealed for $1.1 million for seeds to enable farmers to replant as soon as possible while the World Health Organization needs some $106,000 to procure urgent required medical supplies and to improve and restore medical facilities.  The United Nations Development Programme requires $69,900 to reinforce the coordination capacity of the Government.

Madagascar is prone to natural disasters including endemic drought in the south, now threatening some 130,000 people, and recurrent cyclones and annual flooding affecting most other parts of the island.  Between 26 January and 4 February 2004 tropical cyclone Elita hit Madagascar several times, causing havoc in a number of districts and leaving 29 people dead, 100 injured and 44,190 homeless.

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