Madagascar has been slammed by back-to-back tropical cyclones which have left thousands of people displaced and hungry.
Cyclone Batsirai hit the island nation just weeks after Tropical Cyclone Ana demolished neighborhoods and caused intense flash flooding in Madagascar’s southern communities.
Since its initial impact, Cyclone Batsirai’s death toll has already risen to at least 92 people, with more than 60,000 more left homeless overnight.
Displaced families are currently taking shelter in one of the nation’s 100 emergency temporary housing sites. According to recent reports, residual wind and rain continue to cause considerable damage to already-battered communities.
More than 17,000 homes have been destroyed, and more than 2,000 schools and 60 health clinics were significantly impacted, effecting not only Madagascar’s educational system but also its ability to recover and offer much-needed medical attention to survivors.
Debris left over from the storms are making supply deliveries difficult and obstructing crisis response teams’ ability to travel to the areas most devastated by the cyclone’s path.
Many of the families impacted were already experiencing poverty and are now facing a food crisis, as supply chains struggle to continue operating.
Send Relief Area Director Amy Eardensohn shared, “The country in its entirety is experiencing great loss and suffering. Many people live in houses built of straw and tin and have lost everything they own including food supplies. The most urgent need is food since the supply chain has been cut off by damaged roads and bridges.”
Send Relief is working with partners in Madagascar to focus on providing two weeks-worth of food rations to nearly 1,000 displaced families seeking help from local churches. We are also providing blankets to the island’s most vulnerable populations, including the sick, elderly and children.
Pray for supply routes to be cleared soon, for more organizations to send aid and for the families whose lives have been disrupted to find hope and healing in God’s love for them.
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Published February 14, 2022