On 3 March 2017, Tropical storm Enawo formed in the southern Indian Ocean. The cyclone hit landfall in Madagascar on 7 March at around 10:30 am local time. Enawo is currently equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane and is a dangerous phenomenon representing a real threat to the inhabitants of the north-east coast of Madagascar. On March 8, Enawo weakened from an “intense” to a “moderate” tropical storm. The remnants of Intense Tropical Cyclone Enawo exited Madagascar on the morning of Friday 10 March 2017. The storm traversed nearly the length of the island over two days, affecting communities from north to south across Madagascar’s eastern and central regions(IFRC, 8 March 2017).
As at 12 March, the National Office for the Management of Risks and Crises (BNGRC) reported 295,950 people to have been affected by the cyclone, including 84,660 who remain displaced. The number of deaths due to the storm has risen to 50 with 20 people missing and 195 injured. The initial technical evaluation of the assessment conducted by the BNGRC and participating agencies suggests that humanitarian activities should be prioritized in Maroantsetra, where approximately 40 per cent of the population has been displaced by flooding; in Antalaha, where the cyclone made landfall and where significant damage due to high winds as well as the rain-fed rapid rise in water levels; and in the capital, Antananarivo, where 27,104 people have been displaced by flooding, flood waters have in the past proven to persist longer than in other areas. (Government/UNHCT, 12 March 2017).
ACT Madagascar Forum members, Eglise de Jésus-Christ à Madagascar – Dépt pour le Development (SAF/FJKM and Malagasy Lutheran Church (MLC) in collaboration with the National Office of the Risks and Disasters Management (BNGRC), is planning to respond to life-saving situation by providing Food distribution, NFIs, Potable Water and Cash Distribution to the affected populations through ACT Alliance Rapid Response Funds mechanism.
Alerts_03_2017_ Tropical Cyclone Enawo in Madagascar
