Food insecurity rises in aftermath of Cyclone Indlala

Cyclone Indlala, the sixth storm to hit Madagascar this season, has halted ongoing relief efforts while further exacerbating food insecurity, prompting the United Nations (UN) and its partners to launch a US$9.6 million Flash Appeal to respond to the growing crisis.

Indlala had been predicted to touch down in the island's second largest city and main harbour, Toamasina. Instead, the storm kept heading northward, and hit the major agricultural city of Antalaha on the east coast of the island at around 5a.m. (local time) on Thursday.

The storm has been downgraded to a tropical depression as it moves south, but bad weather continues to prevent relief efforts near Antalaha. Reports from the area describe heavy damage to structures and agricultural land, with rice paddies completely inundated. Residents are without power or communication services.

Tropical storms such as Indlala have been compounding the pressure on food security, especially in the country's arid southern region, where a drought has already affected 582,000 people. The government appealed for $242 million in international aid in February.

Weather conditions have prevented relief efforts to cope with the aftermath of Indlala, as well as halting ongoing assistance for the victim of other recent storms and the drought, but will take off as soon as air travel becomes possible, according to Gianluca Ferrera, the World Food Programme Deputy Director in Madagascar.

He stressed that food insecurity was mounting with each natural disaster that hit the island. "It has been a very difficult rainy season," he said, commenting the number of cyclones had been unusually high.

The UN expects some 293,000 people will need assistance in coming months. Immediate needs include the supply of essential drugs, the prevention of waterborne diseases and food distribution. Overall, the country has lost more than one-third of its rice average annual production, with some areas losing 80 percent of their crops.

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