Online Reporter
Gibson Nyikadzino
Zimpapers Politics Hub
THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) has deployed, up to the end of the month, its Emergency Response Team (ERT) to support the government of Madagascar following the devastating impact of Cyclone Gezani, which made landfall on February 10.
Authorities in Madagascar have so far officially announced 59 deaths, over 423 000 affected people, 16 400 people displaced, 25 044 houses destroyed and 76 885 houses damaged or flooded.
The ERT deployment, supported by MapAction, Rescue South Africa and the World Food Programme (WFP), comes after Madagascar experienced two devastating tropical cyclones ten days apart. Cyclone Fytia first made landfall on the island on January 31.
The cyclone has also resulted in destruction of infrastructure and significant disruption to essential services.
Deployment of the SADC ERT forms part of SADC’s established regional disaster response mechanisms, designed to complement and reinforce government-led efforts in member states affected by natural disasters.
