U.S. Provides Assistance to Madagascar Following Cyclone
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2008
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), are airlifting relief commodities in response to Tropical Cyclone Ivan which has caused a humanitarian crisis in Madagascar. USAID has airlifted 320 rolls of plastic sheeting valued at $213,100, including transport, which will provide shelter assistance to more than 3,000 affected families. USAID provided an additional $100,000 to CARE and the U.N. World Food Program to immediately re-establish ground access to affected communities and deliver emergency relief supplies and food aid. This brings the U.S. Government's assistance to Madagascar following the cyclone to more than $300,000.
On February 17, 2008, Tropical Cyclone Ivan hit Madagascar's densely populated eastern coastal areas in Toamasina Province and the offshore island of Ile Sainte Marie. Upon landfall, Ivan was a category three cyclone, bringing heavy rains and winds of more than 125 miles per hour to the affected regions. To date, at least 28 people are reported dead and 300,000 others affected, according to the Government of Madagascar's National Office for Natural Disasters Preparedness. Preliminary reports indicate significant displacement of the population due to flooding and damage to houses, infrastructure and fields. In addition, communities in affected areas were cut off from regular ground transportation, according to the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Antananarivo. On February 19, U.S. Ambassador R. Niels Marquardt declared a disaster due to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Ivan.
In response to this disaster, USAID's regional advisor will travel to cyclone-affected areas to evaluate the humanitarian situation. The U.S. Government stands ready to further assist the people of Madagascar should it be necessary.
For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
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