Switzerland is helping Madagascar, which was hit by the hurricane
Switzerland is dispatching a team of disaster experts and water and sanitation equipment to Madagascar, which was hit by Cyclone Batsirai – the second tropical storm to wreak havoc on the Indian Ocean island in two weeks.
This content was published on February 7, 2022 – 11:21 am
FDFA/swissinfo.ch/sb
Cyclone Batsirai swept across Madagascar late Saturday, hitting the east coast with heavy rain and winds of 165 kilometers per hour. The storm unleashed torrential rain and flooding, collapsed buildings and cut power. At least ten people have been killed in the south-east of the island and more than 180,000 have been affected, officials said on Sunday.
Switzerland announcedexternal link on Monday that she was sending five specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit to the Foreign Ministry. Equipment is also being sent to the island to help with drinking water supplies and reduce the risk of waterborne diseases. The team left Switzerland on Sunday and will initially support the activities of the NGO Medair, the ministry said.
On the island, the specialists carry out evaluations and prepare to receive more than two tons of water and sanitary facilities sent from Switzerland.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry has already released CHF 300,000 to support emergency aid on the island.
Damage from Saturday’s storm added to the devastation caused by Cyclone Ana on January 22, killing 55 people and displacing 130,000 people on the island of nearly 30 million people.
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