Was Cyclone Ivan more destructive than the Indhala cyclone of last year?
Cyclone Indlala was one of the deadliest cyclones for years in Madagascar killing 150 people. Cyclone Ivan killed so far fewer people but the damage is massive. The category 4 cyclone killed so far 65 people but the number of death might increase as floods are now affecting all the regions of the country (East, Capital, South-west, South East). Floods are already forcing people to leave their homes and about 148.000 people are looking for shelters. The worst thing is the extent of damage caused to agriculture. Hundreds of acres of farmland are under water and rice, vanilla and coffee crops have been completely destroyed, leaving farmers and entire populations without food for months to come.

Do you think people were sufficiently warned or alerted early enough before the arrival of Ivan?
After the terrible cyclone season last year, the BNGRC took a number of decisive prevention measures that really reduced the impact of Ivan this year.  An early warning system was put in place and activated two days in advance before the arrival of cyclone Ivan. These messages were largely disseminated through TV, radio and all local decision makers were alerted and took action to prepare their populations. In the capital Antananario, warning messages were sent immediately and people were evacuated less than two hours after the warning was sent. People living close to rivers were particularly advised to leave their homes and to reach safer places. People did evacuate but some resisted as they were afraid to leave their property and lose their livelihoods. This time, the evacuation and early warning system did work but we did not anticipate the impact of floods which are cutting off many roads, making transport difficult and isolating many areas of the country.
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What are the main active prevention measures in place?
Since Indlala, the BNGRC invested in many risk reduction measures to better prepare populations against cyclones. Exercise drills were organized last October to ensure that people understand and respond accordingly to warnings. Local decision makers were specially trained in risk management and were able to put contingency plans in place. Food, tents and building materials were sent to many regions before the cyclonic season as a precautionary measure to avoid food shortages and ensure some shelter assistance in advance of relief operations. Those measures have certainly saved people’s lives. The death toll would have been higher without those measures but we have to do better to protect people’s livelihoods.

What are the main problems in terms of disaster management?
The main problem we had to face this time is a communication issue. The cyclone arrives on Sunday morning, February, 17th. It hit Sainte Marie first. All day, Sunday, Sainte Marie remained cut off. The government planned to assess the situation by helicopter but it was impossible due to bad weather. Now, floods have aggravated the situation, cutting off access to bridges and roads and making many areas inaccessible to food and relief. The only way to move across the country is by air which is making the situation even more complicated.

For more information you can contact: Dia Styvanley Soa, Head of communication, BNGRC.
E mail : dissoa@gmail.com