On May 9 at 6:00 p.m. Cyclone Kesiny hit Madagascar and passed through
the north of the country. On May 13, the Cyclone disintegrated in
the Mozambique Channel after cutting across the province of Mahajanga
and the north of the province of Antananarivo. The cyclone brought
a mass of clouds that covered Madagascar entirely for six days. The
heavy rains caused flooding in the northern, western and eastern regions
of the country.
It is estimated that between 50 - 75% of the crops were destroyed.
Crops (rice, beans and maize) are traditionally harvested between
May and the middle of June.
The National Relief Council of Magadascar has reported that 20 persons
died, that 180 are missing and that 1,200 people were injured. About
520,000 persons are thought to have been affected, 5,000 were left
homeless and 15,000 are in need for immediate assistance (food, shelter
and drinking water).
The ACT member in Magadascar, Church of Jesus Christ (FJKM) reports
that12 regional teams of SAF/ FJKM are performing an assessment in
the affected region. They have already started to provide support
to the affected population with the rice stocks that they had available.
An appeal will be forthcoming.
