U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) Southern Africa - Cyclone Hudah Fact Sheet #05 (FY 2000) April 13, 2000
REGIONAL OVERVIEW - On April 2, Cyclone Hudah made landfall along the East Coast of Madagascar between Mahanoro and Mananjary. The northernmost area of Madagascar is the most affected region. Agence France-Presse reports 20 deaths and 300,000 people affected in Madagascar. By April 3, Cyclone Hudah exited the West Coast of Madagascar and continued in a westerly direction across the Mozambique Channel. On April 8, Cyclone Hudah made landfall at 0800 local time approximately 20 km north of Pebane in Zambezia Province, Mozambique. The cyclone's wind speed was 92-104 mph with gusts up to 115 mph when it made landfall. As of April 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration (NOAA) reported that there are no significant weather systems in the southern Africa region. The remnant of Cyclone Hudah has become disorganized and is travelling northward, but there is no severe or intense rainfall. WEATHER UPDATE - As of April 11, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration (NOAA) reports that daily showers and thunderstorms are likely to occur over many sections of Zimbabwe, Zambia, and northwestern Mozambique through April 16. Southern Mozambique may experience locally heavy rainfall due to a storm system developing off the coast of Inhambane Province. NOAA predicts that there is a good chance that the storm will become a cyclone, but cautions that more specific information on the storm's projected track is uncertain at this time. MADAGASCAR - Effects of Cyclone Hudah: USAID/Antananarivo reported on April 5 that Antalaha district, with an estimated population of 60,000, was most affected by Cyclone Hudah. The city of Maroantsetra and surrounding rice fields are completely flooded. In the Andapa Valley, which is the largest rice producing area in the northeast, most of the rice fields and homes in the low-lying areas are flooded. - USAID/Antananarivo reports that most of the 60,000 inhabitants of the Antalaha area appear to need immediate assistance, as do those of Maroantsetra and its surrounding communities. - The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports severe losses to the vanilla, coffee, and clove crops as well as serious damage to paddy crops; however, the extent of the damage to agriculture is not yet known. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Response: - A USAID/DART Information Officer arrived in Antananarivo on April 11 to join the other USAID/DART team members who have been in Madagascar since April 4. The USAID/DART Water/Sanitation Specialist will continue to conduct aerial assessments in the Antalaha area. - Five hundred rolls of plastic sheeting and 10,000 five-gallon water jugs provided through USAID/OFDA arrived in Antananarivo on April 11 and will be re-deployed to Sambava on April 13. The relief items will provide assistance for 10,000 families. There may be further requests for assistance. Local Response: - The National Disaster Relief Committee (CNS) has outlined three priorities for the use of helicopter assets: 1) to conduct in-depth needs assessments in the Cyclone Hudah-affected areas; 2) to distribute food and non-food relief supplies to Cyclone Hudah-affected communities; and 3) complete ongoing relief efforts in eastern and southeastern Madagascar in response to Cyclone Leon-Eline and Tropical Storm Gloria. - On April 10, a CNS representative announced that the CNS and a French-funded Transall aircraft have begun transporting food and non-food aid from Antananarivo to northeastern Madagascar. - The CNS will establish an office in Antalaha to serve as a coordination center for relief activities. - The Government of Madagascar (GOM) has dispatched 25 tons of rice to the northeast for immediate distribution. - The GOM issued an official request for international assistance in response to Cyclone Hudah on April 7. International Response: - On April 11, representatives from USAID/Antananarivo and USAID/OFDA met with CNS and the U.N. World Food Program to discuss communication and coordination issues. In addition, participants discussed food and supply distribution and transportation needs for northeastern Madagascar and the areas previously affected by Cyclone Leon-Eline and Tropical Storm Gloria. - The U.N. Development Program (UNDP) issued a flash appeal for a total of $15.8 million. The appeal includes a request for two helicopters. - A joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission is scheduled for Madagascar to assess the extent of crop damage and its potential impact on the overall food supply for the upcoming months. - On April 5, the UNDP organized an overflight and rapid assessment of the areas of the west coast within the trajectory of Hudah. The team found no significant impact of the cyclone in the northwest. - In addition to the existing U.N. World Food Program (WFP) office in Sambava, WFP and UNICEF have established joint offices in Antalaha and Maroantsetra to provide direct coordination and support to relief efforts. - The World Bank's water and urban sector manager for eastern and southern Africa arrived in Madagascar on April 6 for a weeklong assessment. The specialist will assess ways in which the World Bank might be most helpful in medium- to long-term response and recovery efforts, particularly infrastructure projects. MOZAMBIQUE - Effects of Cyclone Hudah: On April 9, the USAID/DART reported that approximately 10-30% of the traditional roofs in Pebane are damaged, and four schools have sustained minor roof damage; however, the local population does not seem to consider the cyclone to be an unusual event for the season. Downed trees have blocked access to the main road into Pebane, but the local population is in the process of clearing the trees. In addition, no standing water was noted in Pebane. - Also on April 9, USAID/Maputo reported that the manioc crop, a secondary food crop, sustained some damage, but it is not considered a cause for concern at this time. USAID/Maputo also reported that the main rivers and tributaries in the affected area are not at flood alert levels. The water level in the Licungo River is high; however, there are no population settlements at risk if the river floods. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Response: - The USAID/DART is beginning closeout operations in Mozambique. The USAID/DART Team Leader will remain in country with the Miami-Dade search and rescue (SAR) team through April 19. A USAID/OFDA Field/Program Officer will remain in Mozambique through at l east May 5 to continue monitoring USAID-funded emergency programs. - The Miami-Dade SAR component of the USAID/DART is conducting advance operational SAR and basic boat maintenance training for the Mozambican navy, the Beira fire department, the Mozambican Red Cross, and various NGOs. A total of 60 Beira firefighters will receive the training. Local Response: - A joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission is scheduled for Mozambique to assess the extent of crop damage and its potential impact on the overall food supply for the upcoming months. - During the April 6 coordination meeting, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC), USAID, several NGOs, and U.N. agencies formed the Hudah Action Committee (HAC). HAC will coordinate information and resources to respond to emergency needs a rising from Cyclone Hudah. - According to USAID/DART, the GOM has 60 boats on standby in Beira. International Response: - Information on donor activities and international response to date is available at - On April 9, the U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique, USAID/DART, USAID/Maputo, INGC, the Provincial Governor of Zambezia, U.N. World Food Program, U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, U.K. Department for International Development, and World Vision conducted a joint assessment of the affected area. The overall conclusion from the assessment is that there was much less damage than anticipated and the majority of the problems consisted of downed trees and roof damage in the area between 10 km north and 10 km south of Pebane. USG Assistance for Cyclone Hudah (to date) Country USG Agency Activities Funded Amount Date Mozambique USAID/OFDA Four Zodiac boats and motors and their transport from USAID/OFDA stockpile to Maputo $36,903 Apr 5 USAID/OFDA Mobilization of Miami-Dade Search and Rescue team $550,000 Apr 5 Madagascar USAID/OFDA Purchase and transport of plastic sheeting and water jugs $282,800 Apr 9 USAID/OFDA DART Administrative Support $30,000 Apr 10 TOTAL USAID/OFDA $899,703 Apr 12 Public Donation Information - In the interest of effective coordination of public response, we encourage concerned citizens to provide monetary donations to appropriate organizations. To find out about contributions, USAID encourages the public to access its web site at or to contact its Humanitarian Hotline at 1-800-USAID-Relief between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The public can also directly contact those private voluntary organizations (PVOs) currently working in the region to provide monetary donations. Additionally, the public can contact InterAction, a coalition of voluntary humanitarian and development organizations that work overseas, via their web site Those interested in providing specific technical services or commodities should contact Volunteers in Technical Assistance's (VITA) Disaster Information Center for information and guidelines at (703) 276-1914. distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Southern Africa Floods: http://www.vita.org/safflud.htm