Eighteen Killed as Gafilo Hits Madagascar

[senorpepr]

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Eighteen people were killed and at least 50,000 were left homeless after a tropical cyclone hit the giant Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, in what was likely to be the country's worst storm in 10 years.

Radio Madagasikara said Monday two people were killed by a falling tree, another person was electrocuted and 10 others drowned as the cyclone swept across the island at the weekend.

Five died in the northern town of Maroantsetra which was still under water after cyclone-related flooding, it said.

"There is very little information on the extent of the damage, but it's predicted to be the most serious cyclone for 10 years," said Roy Probert, Africa spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva.

Madagascar issued a cyclone alert Saturday as Tropical Cyclone Gafilo approached with winds of 124 miles per hour.

Gafilo made landfall late Sunday, churning across the northern part of the giant Indian Ocean island and destroying buildings, uprooting trees and flooding towns.

The government was calling the cyclone a "national emergency" and appealed for food, water and medicine after the tempest left as many as 50,000 people homeless, according to initial reports.

Foreign Minister Marcel Ranjeva appealed Monday for international aid for the vanilla-producing island.

The French army was set to fly in an emergency water treatment facility for 20,000 people and shelter for 10,000 people from neighboring Reunion, a French territory, the Red Cross's Probert said.

The Gafilo alert was the seventh warning Madagascar had issued since the cyclone season began in November.

[george_r_1961]

The bad thing about living there is theres really no place to hide. Here in the USA we take being able to evacuate for granted

[F-Bo]

Although 18 perished and 50,000 homeless is certainly a loss, I'm surprised the numbers weren't higher due to the magnitude and ferocity of this storm. The death toll seems low when compared to Elita, but perhaps the island was more aware of this one. Plus I'd imagine those numbers will rise drastically in the coming days as the cleanup begins.

Hopefully the southern half of the island will batten down the hatches for round 2.