Last April, PIROI/French Red Cross emergency response team member Céline White was deployed to Madagascar to help with the emergency operation being carried out there by Malagasy Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
During the 2021–2022 cyclone season, Madagascar was struck by six systems, two of which – Batsirai and Emnati – were intense tropical cyclones. According to Météo France weather service, Madagascar had never experienced as many cyclonic systems in a single season since satellite tracking began in 1967. In total, these extreme events impacted more than 570,000 people and caused 214 deaths, reported the OCHA on 31 May 2022.
Madagascar Red Cross took action with the support of IFRC and the French Red Cross, and had only one priority: to meet humanitarian needs in disaster-stricken communities. To help those affected recover from these disasters, response implemented focused on house rebuilding, healthcare, and hygiene.
French Red Cross action – via its Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform (PIROI) – strengthened emergency response by sending more than 90 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, and it is in this context that Céline White provided support for Malagasy Red Cross distributions of items in Mananjary.
PIROI’s deployment received financial backing from the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. In addition, an emergency fund was activated through the Resilience Building and Disaster Response Management regional programme implemented by PIROI in partnership with the Indian Ocean Commission as well as through funding from the European Union. PIROI’s support was also facilitated by the French Embassy in Madagascar, and Reunion Island Prefecture’s French Indian Ocean Cooperation Platform (PCFOI).
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