On 22 February, Cyclone Haruna made landfall in southwestern Madagascar. The cyclone went across the island over a period of 24 hours, bringing with it extreme winds up to 200 km/h.
John Uniack Davis, Country Director of CARE Madagascar said there had been major crop damage from Morombe to Tulear.
'Apparently around one-third of food crops is corn and two-thirds rice, and it seems that almost all of the corn in coastal areas had been blown down.'
'Two days after the cyclone passed, at least two-thirds of rice paddies reamins flooded. If this does not drain soon, there will be major losses to the rice crop.'
At least one-third of the city of Tulear is still under water, and the whole city is without power. According to the Government of Madagascar, more than 22,00 people are affected by Haruna’s destruction.
The CARE response team saw schools and other public buildings that had lost their roofs. Many homes were destroyed as well, leaving many families homeless.
'People will certainly need plastic sheeting to quickly repair their houses. As usual in such emergencies, women-headed households, the elderly, and all those without the means or manual labor are most affected since they are often unable to rebuild their homes quickly,' said Davis.
On the day Haruna hit Madagascar, CARE shipped plastic sheeting and other basic relief items to the affected area and quickly started distributing it to the most affected people.
Help CARE rapidly respond to emergencies like Cyclone Haruna by donating to our Global Emergency Fund.