Cyclone Ivan hits Madagascar

Cyclone Ivan hit Sainte Marie in the northeastern region of Madagascar on February 18, 2008 reports ACT member, Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM). The National Office for Natural Disasters Preparedness (BNGRC) reported that the cyclone caused extensive damage to infrastructure, displaced up to 8,283 people and killed 3 people. Madagascar is also bracing itself for another storm as Cyclone Hondo heads for the island's eastern coast.

Extensive flooding is reported in many parts of the country and rivers have burst their banks. A substantial number of houses have collapsed and many villages have been washed away. Many of the main access routes to the affected areas have been damaged making it difficult to travel in and out of the region.

In late January 2008, Cyclone Fame claimed 12 lives in Madagascar. In the 2007 cyclone season, the worst in living memory, six storms killed over 150 people on the island nation.

FJKM is in the process of collecting data from the affected regions and plans to submit an appeal to the ACT Coordinating Office for approval in the coming days.

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).