Madagascar Cyclone Gafilo

destroyed coastline of mahajanga, madagascar

gafilo caused strong winds , torrential rainfall on madagascar. half of day after first landfall, hurricane-force winds still observed near mahajanga late on 7 march. when gafilo reorganising in mozambique channel, 190 mm (7.5 in) of precipitation recorded @ maintirano on 9 march, 242 mm (9.5 in) recorded @ tôlanaro on same day. during three-day loop overland, gafilo brought 238 mm (9.4 in) @ morondava on 11 march.

as elita has struck madagascar 1 month ago, damage gafilo became extremely devastating in country. national rescue council in antananarivo reported 237 dead, 181 missing, 879 injured, , 304,000 homeless (among 174,000 in antalaha alone). more 20,000 homes destroyed, 413 public buildings , 3,400 schools damaged, including 1,400 destroyed ones. united nations estimated there 700,000 disaster-stricken, 280,000 of needed urgent assistance.

despite being located 300 km (190 mi) north of gafilo’s centre, shipwreck of ferry ‘samson’ still happened @ night on 7 march, offshore northwestern port of mahajanga. narrow strong band of gafilo caused rough conditions @ sea, making ferry undergo engine failure , tip on instantaneously. while number of fatalities remains undetermined (120 people officially onboard), 3 people drifted, ran aground , survived shipwreck.the ferry heading madagascar coromos islands.

in antalaha, food prices shot 35%, , harbour badly damaged , not operational. roads , bridges connecting city outlying villages inaccessible, electricity, water , telephone lines cut. overall in madagascar, main damage caused gafilo subsequent flooding of vast areas in north, northwest , southwest, extensive flooding had caused serious damage vanilla, rice , banana crops. in many places, crops expected totally lost.

moreover, shrimp harvesting suffered. of concerned areas coincided affected elita, , stocks , resources had therefore been depleted in many areas. in absence of immediate response, increase in water borne diseases such malaria , diarrhoea have had immediate occurrence, while outbreaks of cholera expected witnessed within coming 6–8 weeks.