WFP praises SA assistance

The World Food Programme (WFP) has praised the efforts of the South African relief team in cyclone ravaged Madagascar. "Tens of thousands of people affected by a devastating cyclone in Madagascar have received vital food aid rations thanks to the successful cooperation between a South African relief team and the WFP," said a statement from the aid agency. The South African government despatched four helicopters and a cargo plane to Madagascar, soon after Cyclone Gafilo struck in mid-March, to help in the overall relief effort, including distributing WFP food aid. "Cyclone Gafilo hit Madagascar twice in mid-March, first in the northeast and then again in the southwest - leaving over 200 people dead and hundreds of thousands affected. WFP began food relief operations within days of the cyclone hitting the country but many areas remained unreachable until the South African team arrived," WFP noted. Gafilo was the worst cyclone to hit the country in 20 years. Over 300,000 hectares of agricultural land was been damaged, and 200 schools and 200 health centres were damaged or destroyed. After spells in the north and west, the South African helicopters were operating in southern Madagascar around the town of Fort Dauphin. "Today, they are scheduled to deliver 73 mt of WFP food aid to 21,000 hungry people, who remain cut off by floodwaters," WFP said on Thursday. "The South African helicopters have played a crucial role in this emergency relief operation by delivering food aid to many devastated communities that are still totally inaccessible by road. Without their assistance, thousands of families would be stranded with little - or no - food supplies at all," Bodo Henze, WFP's country director in Madagascar, was quoted as saying. Last week, in partnership with WFP and CARE, the helicopters distributed 110 mt of rice and 3.5 mt of beans to 32,000 people in the worst hit northern regions. The focus of operations then switched to the western coastal districts of Morondava and Maintirano, where the South African teams delivered 80 mt of rice - provided by WFP and Catholic Relief Services - and some essential non-food items to around 23,000 victims of the cyclone. On 19 March, the United Nations launched a flash appeal to raise US $8.7 million to assist the government of Madagascar address the urgent relief needs of 310,000 people affected by Cyclone Gafilo. Some US $5.8 million is needed for food aid for as many as 110,000 people until the November rice harvest.