Aid agencies appeal for funds in the wake of Gafilo

United Nation agencies on Friday appealed for US $8.7 million to provide relief for some 309,500 people affected by cyclone Gafilo, which struck Madagascar this month. The cyclone made landfall in the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean island on 7 March and tracked northwards before heading out to sea. It returned on 9 March and hit the southwest. Gafilo's 225 km/hr winds and heavy rains left 74 people dead. The authorities have estimated the total economic impact at more than US $250 million. "The international community must respond before people fall victim to poor sanitation, lack of food, or exposure to the elements," said Jan Egeland, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. "We have a small window of opportunity now to help people and lay the foundations for their recovery. I urge donors to support this appeal quickly." The UN flash appeal is expected to meet the immediate needs of the most affected communities for the next three months. The World Food Programme is seeking US $5.6 million to feed up to 110,000 people, while the UN's Children's Fund (UNICEF) has appealed for about US $1.7 million to meet water and sanitation needs, address the nutritional needs of children and provide shelter, blankets and educational supplies. UNICEF's response will also include inoculating children against measles and other childhood diseases, and ensuring that people have access to malaria prevention and treatment. The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), in partnership with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has also appealed for US $1.1 million for seeds to enable farmers to replant as soon as possible. It has calculated that over 300,000 hectares of cropland was damaged with 117,000 ha of crops lost. With around 200 health centres destroyed by the cyclone, the World Health Organisation needs some US $106,000 to procure urgently needed medical supplies and restore medical facilities. According to the latest situation report from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA), the three provinces worst hit by the cyclone - Antsiranana, Mahajanga and Toliara - have extremely poor access to adequate water and sanitation facilities. "Furthermore, sanitation is likely to become an even more critical problem in these flooded areas, increasing the cases of diarrhoea and other communicable diseases, and the risk of a cholera outbreak," the UN agencies said. The government has already begun distributing relief items from stores in the capital, with the assistance of the armed forces as well as other local and international partners. CRS, in tandem with its local CARITAS partners and other faith-based organisations, are expected to provide emergency food and non-food items to 8,000 families - as many as 42,000 individuals - in the western provinces of Mahajanga and Toliara. Given the impact of the cyclone on the impoverished country, the International Monetary Fund has approved a government request to increase Madagascar's access to the current Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. The additional US $18 million is to be disbursed in full.