OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Madagascar - Tropical Cyclone Kesiny
10 May 2002


This message is not an official hurricane warning or alert for any
country.

This report is based on information provided by the UN Resident
Coordinator's Office in Madagascar.

Situation

1.  On 9 May 2002 at 6:00 pm (local time), tropical cyclone Kesiny landed
80km north of Vohemar, in the northern tip of Madagascar, affecting the
areas situated between Diego Suarez, Vohemar and Ambilobe in the province
of Antsiranana.  Heavy rains with average winds of 110km/h and gusts up to
170km/h were recorded. The cyclone left the western coast of Madagascar at
11:00 pm on 9 May and has weakened due to prolonged interaction with land.

2.  Heavy rains and flooding as well as a few deaths have been reported.


National Response

3.  No state of emergency has been declared for this disaster and the
Government of Madagascar has not made any request for international
assistance.

4.  The National Relief Council met with the partners involved in disaster
relief at 2:30 pm (local time) today to share the preliminary information
on the impact of the cyclone, while they are facing difficulties in
obtaining information due to the political context and communication
problems.

5.  OCHA remains in contact with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in
Madagascar, and will revert with further information when available.

6.  This situation report, together with information on other ongoing
emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
  Mr. J. McGoldrick / Ms. Y. Sawada / Ms. H. Kuttab
  Direct Tel. +41-22-917 1712 / 1768 / 3194

Press contact:
  (GVA)  Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 56
  (NYC)  Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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