UNITED NATIONS, April 5 (NNN-XINUA) — The United Nations and humanitarian partners in Madagascar are supporting the government response to Tropical Cyclone Gamane, which has prompted national authorities to declare a state of emergency, said a UN spokesman on Thursday.
The tropical cyclone, which made landfall on March 27 in the Sava Region in the northeast of the country, has left 19 people dead, three others injured, and some 22,000 people displaced, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, quoting government figures.
More than 530,000 people have been affected, and humanitarian partners are looking to reach 165,000 people out of nearly 230,000 people who need assistance, he said.
The humanitarian community in Madagascar is warning that emergency relief stocks in the affected areas are alarmingly low, having been used during the Alvaro storm in January and the flood response in February, said the spokesman.
Humanitarian partners are calling for additional resources to support relief efforts and to help aid workers reach affected areas via air or sea transport, as roads and bridges have been damaged by the cyclone.
The UN flash appeal for Madagascar, which requires 90 million U.S. dollars this year, is under 20 percent funded, said the spokesman.== NNN-XINHUA