Mikama - Apr 27, 2018

Tiana Mahefasoa Randrianalijaona dans The Conversation and All Africa
Earlier this year it was hit by one named Ava - a category three cyclone that killed at least 50 people, displaced over 50,000 and caused huge damage. And just this month another cyclone triggered flooding in the north of the country. (..) Known as typhoons in the Pacific, cyclones are characterised by storms, torrential rain and strong winds. They vary in intensity and can be categorised into five strengths - one being the weakest (with a wind speed between 119 - 153 km/h) and five the strongest (wind speed of at least 250km/h). (..)  The majority of the country's population, more than 65%, also live in rural areas which become inaccessible when the storms hit and destroy the weak infrastructure. (..) According to our research cyclone Ava has caused about USD$ 130 million of damage and USD$ 156 million in losses. This accounts for 2.9% of the country's 2017 GDP. Considering the national GDP growth averages about 2.5% GDP each year, this is very high. All the economic growth made over a year is blown away by one disaster. (..) Cyclone Ava destroyed 90% of the port city of Toamasina's electricity infrastructure. This kind of damage causes huge losses to livelihoods and the local economy. One of the biggest, and most important, losses is the temporary or permanent loss of jobs. In Madagascar, the informal sector accounts for more than 80% of jobs and this sector is heavily affected when cyclones strike. Cyclone Ava caused a job loss of 40%, of which 90% were from the informal sector.

Dans Relief Web
Two major storm systems have impacted Madagascar this cyclone season, affecting at least 212,000 people. In January 2018, Tropical Cyclone Ava affected 161,000 people in the north-eastern and south-eastern parts of the country and damaged 50 per cent of the high season rice crops. While the humanitarian response to Ava was ongoing, the same areas where hit by Severe Tropical Storm Eliakim in mid-March, which impacted 51,000 people. (..) About 810,000 people were estimated to be facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity in the Grand Sud between November 2017 and March 2018, while Fall Armyworm (FAW) is now affecting 35 districts. (..) The first quarter of 2018 saw lower admissions of acutely malnourished children in outpatient feeding programmes compared to the first quarters of both 2016 and 2017. (..) By the end of April 2018, some 2,671 cases of the plague had been recorded since the first case of the plague season was reported in August 2017, including at least 239 deaths. Although the plague is endemic in Madagascar, the number of cases in the 2017-2018 season is at least six times the annual average of around 400 cases, the outbreak began earlier than usual..

Dans RElief Web
On the morning of Friday 16 March 2018, the region of Analanjirofo, was affected by tropical cyclone ELIAKIM, which came with a maximum wind speed of 100 kph alternated by gusts of 130 kph. According to the National Office of Disaster Risk Management (NODRM), ELIAKIM caused 21 deaths, displaced 15 000 and affected 38 000 people. This occurred while local communities were still recovering from AVA, the first tropical cyclone, followed by a second storm DUMAZILE.

Dans Irin News
The latest round of flooding, which started when three rivers that cross Antananarivo – the Sisaony, Ikopa and Imamba – burst their banks during a storm on 24 February, has left 19 people dead and an estimated 36,000 displaced, according to the National Office for the Management of Risks and Catastrophes (BNGRC in French). A further 40,000 people were displaced in 13 other districts. (..) The current flooding adds to the many challenges already facing the city in the wake of Tropical Storm Chedza, which caused 68 deaths and almost 80,000 displacements across Madagascar - over 16,000 in Antananarivo alone - during the weekend of 17 January. (..) Meanwhile, southern areas of this vast Indian Ocean island have been enduring a protracted drought. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is supporting the national response, estimates that 80,000 people are in need of urgent food assistance. However, an additional US$3 to $4 million is needed to respond and the funding gap is expected to increase in the coming weeks.