The following “flash” situational report has been prepared by the OCHA support mission to the Office of the Resident
Coordinator in Madagascar. It is largely based on the information provided by the National Office for Disasters and Risks
Management (BNGRC) of the Government of Madagascar as well as UN Agencies and NGOs.
Fanele was a type 4 cyclone, descending on the south-east of Madagascar at 4 am on 21 January 2009. Moving through the district of Morondava, some 50 km south of the town of Morondava, the system brought in winds travelling at 150 km/h, reaching in gusts the speed of 210 km/h. Later that day, “Eric” moved south-east, crossing the regions of Menabe, Atsimo-Andrefana, Haute Matsiatra, and Ihorombe, exiting Madagascar on 22 January at 2 am through the regions of Anosy and Atsimo Atsinanana. The arrival of the cyclone was preceded by heavy rainfall threatening the inhabitants of the town of Morondava and the district of Miandrivazo with the prospect of flooding. Preliminary reports issued by BNGRC’s mobile teams dispatched to the impact areas point to over 9,000 persons displaced in the district of Miandrivazo due to flooding. A number of public buildings in the town of Morondava have suffered varying degrees of damage, including the municipal water system which has been reported down. Homeless persons are being assembled in temporary shelter areas under the supervision of the Malagasy Red Cross. As rapid assessment missions are being dispatched to the impacted areas, more accurate picture of the extent of damage will become available in the next days.
Source: United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator Madagascar
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2009.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/VDUX-7NJMLW-full_report.pdf/$File/full_report.pdf
