ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, March 01, 2022 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Tropical Cyclone (TC) Freddy made landfall on Tuesday evening, February 21 in the coastal town of Mananjary in Madagascar. Hurricane track left 2.2 million people affected by storms and flash floods as they ravaged the country. It has been reported that more than 16,700 people were affected and around 4,500 houses they are broken.
GBP£700,000 disbursed by Start Network for Catholic Relief Services, Welthungerhilfe, CARE, Medair, Action Against Hunger, Save Children, and Medecins du Monde to lead anticipatory activities and provide initial assistance to the community on the way TC Freddy. Voice 500,000 people expected to benefit from this support.
Start Network and its members have been monitoring the cyclone’s movements since Meteo Madagascar released its bulletin on February 17 forecasting TC Freddy reaching minimum wind speeds 166 km hourly at landfall.
The predicted intensity of the cyclone led to the activation of the latest funding mechanism Start Ready – Start Network which allows humanitarian actors to access funding quickly and predictably and provide support in anticipation of the crisis if certain thresholds are met.
Start Network members act quickly and use their designated resources when the newsletter is broadcast. The family received materials last Monday, February 20 to strengthen their homes, dignity equipment, water purifiers, and mosquito nets. Pre-storm provision of pre-configured items and cash prepares the community for the impact of the cyclone.
“Behavioural changes in disaster preparedness have saved many lives and caused less damage. I commend the community, government, humanitarian actors in the country, and donors like Start Network for quickly mobilizing resources even before the landfall of Cyclone Freddy. As part of the initiative anticipatory action, we can deploy teams in Manakara and Mananjary – which then become ground zero two days before the landfall, to ensure that we carry out pre-emptive measures such as alerting the public via radio, text messages. , and helping the public to have favorable evacuation sites where they safely stay before landfall,” Medair Country Director, Adriaan Mol, said.
In 2022, two similar anticipatory action humanitarian interventions were also carried out before Typhoons Batsirai and Emnati. The anticipatory action system for tropical cyclones is managed by FOREWARN Madagascar, a group of local risk experts, private agencies, government agencies, and humanitarian actors. Early action interventions for the two cyclones were funded by the Start Network’s flagship programme, the Start Fund.
Many learnings from the early action activities of Start Network 2022 in Madagascar informed the activation of Start Ready for TC Freddy. Starting with the Network, humanitarian actors, FOREWARN Madagascar, the National Risk Management Office (BNGRC), Meteo Madagascar, and other partners in the country have since agreed on community-reported anticipatory activities and funding to protect at-risk populations. Initial reports indicate an increase in anticipatory and early action to prevent and mitigate impacts.
The Start Network Start Ready anticipatory risk financing pool is supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, the IKEA Foundation, Irish Aid, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the Swiss Re Foundation.
Distributed by African Media Agency to Start Networking.
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For more information contact:
Matthew Stickland,
Head of Communications & Digital,
Start Network matthew.stickland@startnetwork.org and cc communications@startnetwork.org
Available for interview:
● Mark Weegmann – Crisis Anticipation and Risk Funding Officer, Start Network
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About Starting a Network
Start Network: www.startnetwork.org | @StartNetwork | Start Network is a global network of non-governmental organizations, consisting of more than 80 national and international humanitarian agencies from six continents. Its mission is to create a new era of humanitarian action that will protect more lives through early action, rapid funding, locally led action, and innovation. Start Network believes that pre-emptive climate risk financing can revolutionize the aid sector and accelerate new ways to prepare for crises, helping to create more resilient communities. Visit our website to see a full list of members.
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