Cyclone Haruna hit Madagascar on February 24, 2013. It was a category 2 cyclone that packed winds reaching a speed of 125 mph or 200 kph. The tropical cyclone left a large part of the island devastated, with lives lost and crops, including rice fields going under water.
Madagascar is a picturesque island located on the Indian Ocean, just off the southeastern coast of the African continent, quite near Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It is one of the islands in the world that is regularly hit by powerful cyclones. Twenty-two cyclones have hit Madagascar from 2003 to 2012, affecting more than 3 million residents, 18% or 540,000 were children below five years old.
The devastating effects of Cyclone Giovanna and Irina that hit the country in February and March last year are still felt today, as rebuilding is still underway. About 1,400 school houses that were heavily damaged and some totally destroyed when the cyclones hit Madagascar are still being built. The Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission donated 150,000 euros to UNICEF for the construction of 400 classroom tents (tarpatents), so that some 20,000 children will not miss many school days.
Worst Hit Areas
Authorities say that more rains are expected in the coming says. Badly hit was the city of Morombe, where 70% of the city affected by the heavy rains and strong winds, leaving the city isolated. About 18,000 people in the city were affected, and almost two-thirds of the region’s rice fields are still underwater. In Morombe, nearly 2,200 hectares of rice paddies were flooded. Also affected were the districts of Toliary and Taolagnaro.
Initial Assessments
According to the assessments made by CARE and the National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management by air and by land, some roads are still inaccessible, making it harder for them to make a more complete assessment. Likewise, World Food Program country representative in the island, Willem van Milink added that the worst hit area, Morombo is cut off completely. They are still checking if it is possible to reach the area by boat. Cyclone Felleng has just hit the eastern coast of the island last January 30, which had wind speed of up to 175 kph or 109 mph.
A bit about Madagascar
If you have seen the full-length animated film, Madagascar, you would have an idea on what one of its famous animals, the ring-tailed lemur, looks like. The island’s icon is the traveler’s palm. It is rich in natural resources, with about 80% of its flora found only in the country. Seventy-five of the orchids in Madagascar are endemic. Out of the eight species of baobab trees in the world, six are found in the country. Extracts from the Madagascar periwinkle are used in the manufacture of vincristine and vinblastine, herbal medicines for leukemia, other forms of cancer and Hodgkin’s disease.
Raffia is farmed in Madagascar and it is the main supplier of ylang-ylang, cloves and vanilla in the world. The country’s products like shrimp, lychees and coffee are known worldwide. Half of the world’s supply of sapphires comes from Madagascar.
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