Office of the Resident Coordinator Madagascar • Cyclone Giovanna Situation Report #3
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United Nations Nations Unies Office of the Resident Coordinator Madagascar • Cyclone Giovanna Situation Report #3– 18 February 2012 I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES The two joint assessments teams are back to the capital and are processing information collected in cyclone-affected areas. Delivery of humanitarian assistance is ongoing in the severely affected areas, namely in the districts of Brickaville, Vatomandry and Moramanga (in eastern Madagascar), and the capital Antananarivo. To date, 17 deaths have been reported, while the number of people injured is estimated at 65. At present, 3,226 people are still displaced in temporary shelters, in particular in the districts of Brickaville, Vatomandry, Mahanoro, Mampikony and the capital Antananarivo. The rest of those reportedly displaced have already returned home. The number of damaged schools is estimated at 41. The majority of them are located in Brickaville and Antananarivo. Prepositioned stocks are currently being distributed. The BNGRC has announced that it will initiate fundraising locally with bilateral donors, depending on the needs. II. Situation Overview The National Disaster Risk Management Office (BNGRC) and partners continue to process information being received from the field on the impacts of the Cyclone. Giovanna caused the death of 17 people while 65 are injured, and 3,226 people are still displaced in temporary shelters. Damage to infrastructure is also being assessed, particularly in the sectors of education, health and agriculture. The first aerial assessment missions conducted by Medair and Care International confirmed that the districts of Brickaville and Vatomandry are the most severely affected areas. However, none of the data received so far have been confirmed by physical ground check, meaning the exact number of vulnerable people is still unknown. Heavy winds have caused significant damages to habitations, education, health and other public infrastructures. Food supply and access to basic services (education, health and shelter) are the most urgent needs. A private aerial assessment will be undertaken by the mining company Ambatovy on Saturday 18 February over its pipelines and mining sites in Moramanga, Vatomandry, Brickaville and Toamasina. The mission findings will be shared with BNGRC and partners in due course. No major flooding has been reported, as the cyclone brought little rain. Nevertheless, partners are monitoring the situation of water sources to prevent water-borne diseases outbreaks. Other moderately areas affected include the district of Moramanga and the capital Antananarivo, where national authorities continue to monitor the water levels of the five main rivers surrounding the capital, which started to recede on 16 February. The National Meteorological Service is forecasting improved weather conditions for the coming days. However tropical storm monitoring systems are informing that Giovanna could strike again Madagascar in its south-western region in the coming hours. Impact is however expected to be minimal. The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate 1 effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://ochaonline.un.org Situation Report n 2 III. Humanitarian Needs and Response EDUCATION Needs: An estimated 41 schools have been partially damaged. Most of them are located in the district of Brickaville. UNICEF estimates that 25 per cent of education structures have been seriously affected in the districts of Brickaville, Vatomandry and Moramanga. Response: Partners continue to assess the impact of cyclone Giovanna on the education sector in the districts of, Brickaville, Vatomandry, Moramanga. A joint UNICEF / ministry of Education mission will provide more information in the coming days. UNICEF has already distributed 450 tents to replace damaged classrooms in affected schools. EMERGENCY SHELTER Needs: Some displaced people in the districts of Brickaville and Vatomandry have already started to return to their homes. In Antananarivo, only women and children under 13 years of age are residing in temporary shelters, while men and boys stayed home to protect their property. Information is being received about significant damages to houses in eastern Madagascar, with around 60 per cent of all houses in Brickaville district registered damage. This information is to be verified by sectoral assessments teams. Response: Care International distributed plastic sheeting, provided by USAID, to 4,000 household in affected households in Vatomandry and 2,000 households in Brickaville. Furthermore the BNGRC has increased the number of tents for those displaced in Antananarivo. A shipment from La Reunion, provided by the French Government, will arrive on Sunday 19 February to Toamasina, carrying plastic sheeting and rehabilitation kits for 2,000 households, mobilized by the Red Cross Platform on disaster management (Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform - PIROI). This relief supplies will be distributed to vulnerable people in Brickaville and Vatomandry. Gaps & Constraints: Registration of those displaced should be improved to show disaggregated data by sex, age and other categories related to specific vulnerabilities. Relocation sites do not respect the internationally established minimum standards for site management in terms of sanitation, water supply, shelter, cooking facilities and protection. Camp coordination and camp management training should be provided to partners involved in this sector, i.e. local authorities and social workers. LOGISTICS Needs: No significant infrastructural damage has been reported, and all main roads are open. Nevertheless, some national and secondary roads in the eastern region require rehabilitation. Response: The Logistic Cluster already completed its two-day initial aerial assessment mission using a helicopter hired by Care International. A second helicopter from the mining company Ambatovy is still being kept on stand-by. In addition, Ambatovy will fly over some affected areas on Saturday 18 February to assess the conditions of its pipelines and mining sities. WFP have reinforced its logistics team with a surge capacity from its headquarters. The Telma Foundation announced the arrival of a team from Telecom Sans Frontieres - France (TSF-F), which will be based in Brickaville and provide telecommunication assistance to partners in the field and to affected population. Gaps & Constraints: Access to several remote areas remains a challenge for conducting holistic initial assessment missions and providing relief assistance. However, local teams supported by partners are busy gathering maximum information. FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS Needs: In affected districts the main cash crops, which were already close to maturity, have been seriously damaged, i.e. maize and cassava. Other commercial crops in affected districts, such as breadfruit, oranges and papaya, which were to be harvested in April, have been also significantly impacted. Rice fields have been flooded, but the extent of the damage can only be assessed after the water recedes. 2 Situation Report n 2 Response: On 16 February, WFP moved 22 tons of food (5,000kg of high energy biscuits, 2,000kg of pulses, 12,000kg of rice and 995kg of cooking oil) from its warehouse in Toamasina to the city of Brickaville, which has been one of the most severely hit areas. WFP’s food distribution will benefit 4,000 people in Brickaville district, in collaboration with its partner HELP Madagascar. Furthermore, WFP, in collaboration with Care International, will move 1,000kg of high energy biscuits from its pre-positioned stock in Fénérive- Est in eastern Madagascar for distribution in Vatomandry district, to assist around 1,100 beneficiaries. In the flood-affected slums of Antananarivo, WFP, in collaboration with UNICEF, will assist 5,000 people with 20 tons of food. BNGRC has also commenced the distribution of five tons of rice and cereal in Antananarivo. In the districts of Mananjary and Nosy Varika in south-east part, WFP assisted 1,100 temporarily displaced people (all of them have already return to their home) through the distribution of 1,000kg of high energy biscuits in collaboration with its partner BDEM (Bureau de Développement de l’Ekar Mananjary). A meeting of the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster, co-chaired by FAO and WFP, will be held during the week starting 20 February 2012 to determine the extent of the required assessment, among other topics. Gaps & Constraints: Food commodities are available on local markets and so far no price increase has been observed. However, insufficient food stocks in the markets in the coming days could increase food prices. Still, the livelihoods of some segments of population have been severely disrupted. The short and medium term food security situation of the population is of concern. An in-depth food security evaluation may be required to have a clear understanding of the situation in all the affected areas. Seeds should be provided to affected farmers for the coming agriculture season. HEALTH Needs: No further information is available at this point in time. Sectoral assessments of health infrastructure continue to estimate the magnitude of damages and establish priority needs. Response: Several members of the Health Cluster (including MDM, MSF, WHO and UNICEF) continue their support to the Ministry of Health in infrastructure damage assessment. UNFPA will provide individual