United Nations Nations Unies Office of the Resident Coordinator Madagascar • Cyclone Giovanna, Irina and floods Situation Report # 6 – 05 March 2012 I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES Heavy rains have continued to affect the central, eastern and south-eastern regions of Madagascar, leading to floods that have severely impacted the south-eastern coast in particular. 27 people have died and 9,600 have been evacuated or have been displaced in temporary sites. A state of emergency has been declared on Sunday 04 March in two regions in the south-eastern coast. Tropical disturbance Irina, which crossed northern Madagascar and threatened the western coast of the island, caused limited damage. Four people have died, 143 were displaced, 14 school classrooms and 4 health centres damaged. With regard to the impact of tropical cyclone Giovanna, 35 people died and 118 were injured. Around 1,000 people are still displaced in temporary shelters, in particular in the capital city Antananarivo. Assessment teams are returning from the field. II. Situation Overview New reports of flooding Heavy rains were recorded between 25 February and 01 March over the central, eastern and south-eastern regions of Madagascar, which led to flooding particularly in the south-eastern part of Madagascar. In the eastern region, rice fields have been flooded both in Moramanga, Anosibe an’Ala, Vatomandry and Brickaville but water has receded quickly. Three assessment teams have been deployed to assess the impacts of tropical cyclone Giovanna and covered much of the area affected by these rains. These assessment teams should thus be able to provide more information on this situation in eastern part in the coming days. In the south-eastern coast, the impact of the floods is significant. Preliminary information indicates that 27 people have died and 9,600 have been evacuated or have been displaced in the districts of Mananjary, Ifanadiana, Vangaindrano, Vohipeno, Faranfangàna and Midongy South to various relocation sites. Prepositioned food aid, wash and medical kits are sufficient to meet the needs of those displaced people. However, the longer term impact of these floods on food security could be serious. The main road to this region is completely cut off and road rehabilitation works could take ten days. Transportation by boat through the Pangalane channel could be an alternative way of reaching this region. The Government declared on Sunday 04 March a state of emergency in those affected districts. The Response to Tropical Cyclone Giovanna According to the latest information on the impacts of tropical cyclone Giovanna, which hit Madagascar in mid-February, 35 people died and 118 people were injured. Around 1,000 people are still displaced in temporary shelters, in particular in the capital city of Antananarivo. An estimated 978 school classrooms were damaged in the districts of Brickaville and Vatomandry; and other damaged schools have also been identified in isolated parts of other districts according to the multisectoral assessment teams. Report of this assessment will be available soon. On 4 March, the joint multi-sectoral assessment mission, which focused on the districts of Moramanga, Anosibean’Ala and Toamasina II was completed. The assessment considered shelter, education, health and food security as priority sectors. A similar assessment is on-going in the districts of Brickaville and Vatomandry, in order to have a complete analysis of the five affected districts in eastern Madagascar. The early recovery phase has started for all sectors, following the return of most displaced persons to their villages. Cases of malaria, which started to be recorded before Giovanna, are spreading in the eastern region of Atsinanana, and in the south-eastern regions of Atsimo Atsinanana and Vatovavy Fitovinany. 1 UNRCO Madagascar - Situation Report nº 6 The Impact of Tropical Disturbance Irina Tropical disturbance Irina has left the coast of Madagascar on 01 March. It had crossed northern Madagascar and threatened the western coast of the island, but caused limited damage. Four people died, 143 were displaced, and 14 classrooms and 4 health centres damaged. The district of Vohemar on the north- east coast was the most affected area. All displaced people have returned to their homes and national roads in northern Madagascar have been reopened. III. Humanitarian Needs and Response to Giovanna EDUCATION Needs: The Education sector is one of the most affected areas, with 275 out of 783 primary school classrooms severely to moderately damaged in Vatomandry district, and 703 out of 997 primary school classrooms severely to moderately damaged in Brickaville district. In these two districts, a total of 77,403 learners (38,721 girls and 38,682 boys) were affected. In addition, a joint multi-sectoral assessment has noted that several classrooms have been damaged in the district of Moramanga and Anosibean’Ala. Response: To date, 62 schools have received 116 school-in-a-box kits and 67 recreation kits, benefitting 9,280 learners (4,547 girls and 4,733 boys). 195 tents have been distributed and 10 temporary classrooms have been erected, benefitting 500 schoolchildren (245 girls and 255 boys) in the districts of Brickaville and Vatomandry. Communities are being sensitised to collect wood for the construction of temporary classrooms, in additional to the wood being collected to rebuild houses. Heavy rains had slowed the building process; however, it is expected that once the rains stop, the cascade approach taken to train the community technicians to speed up the building of the remaining 240 temporary classrooms. Gaps and constraints: Reopened classrooms require teachers to run multi-grade classes. In the district of Moramanga and Anosibean’Ala, teachers whose houses were destroyed are living at schools EMERGENCY SHELTER Needs: A total of 10,600 people are displaced in various temporary shelters in the country, around 1,000 displaced by Giovanna and the rest displaced by the recent heavy rains. Many of those affected in rural areas need to be identified in order for them to be provided with shelters. Response: 600 family tents, provided by Shelter Box, will be dispatched to the three communes most affected by Giovanna in the district of Brickaville. For the floods in the south-eastern region, all displaced persons are hosted in schools and public buildings. Gaps & Constraints: The delivering of shelter items (plastic sheeting, family tents, etc) to the isolated communes is prohibitively expensive. LOGISTICS Needs: The main road to the region recently affected by heavy rain is completely cut off, and according to an informal source in the Minister of Public Works, the rehabilitation of the road could take ten days. Transportation by train is also discontinued, and only transportation by boat through the Pangalane channel could be an alternative way for reaching the south-eastern region. Response: The Logistic Cluster is continuing to share logistical information regarding affected areas. Alternative transportation will be identified soon to facilitate the delivering of items from the capital of Antananarivo or between the districts within the south-eastern coast. Gaps & Constraints: Humanitarian assistance to those affected by recent flooding in south-eastern coast will be difficult if the main road is not immediately repaired. FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS . Response: With regard to the response to Giovanna, the Mining Company Ambatovy will distribute 40 tons of rice in the nine affected communes in Brickaville district. WFP provided immediate assistance to 16,140 displaced people in Brickaville (east), Nosy Varika and Mananjary (south-east) and in Antananarivo in 2 UNRCO Madagascar - Situation Report nº 6 collaboration with CARE International, HELP, Miarintsoa and the BDEM (Bureau de développement de l’Ekar Mananjary). 82MT mixed commodities were distributed. On 27 February, WFP in collaboration with NGO Frères St Gabriel (FSG) started food-for-work activities (FFW) in favour of 8,400 beneficiaries. 57 MT of mixed commodities are expected to be distributed under this programme. FFW activities aim at building and rehabilitating WASH-related infrastructures. The Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster therefore join the joint multi-sectoral assessment team which started on 27 February under the coordination of the BNGRC and OCHA/RCO. Regarding the recent flooding, the Food security cluster has been activated at local level for immediate interventions. NUTRITION Response: Nutrition cluster will meet on Tuesday 06 March in order to discuss eventual interventions based on various scenarii. HEALTH Needs: Coordination of the health response being provided by various stakeholders needs to be improved. Cases of malaria, which started to be recorded before Giovanna, are spreading in the eastern region of Atsinanana and in the south-eastern coast. The basic health centre (BHC) of Andevoranto commune, where Giovanna made landfall, was completely destroyed and is still not functioning. This situation requires the provision of temporary tent to serve as a temporary clinic. Immunization sessions have been interrupted at the BHC - a situation that requires urgent and adequate response. Response: Health Cluster partners continue to support health interventions in the districts affected by Giovanna, particularly in Brickaville, Moramanga and Vatomandry. Temporary tents and essential drugs have been provided to the eight destroyed and non-functional basic health centres. WHO has dispatched emergency malaria