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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
  • News article
  • 18 February 2022
  • Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
  • 1 min read

Madagascar: EU provides additional emergency aid after cyclone Batsirai

Aid workers on a road
© European Union, 2022.

The EU is providing emergency humanitarian funding of €1.85 million to help Madagascar deal with the aftermath of tropical cyclone Batsirai, which struck the island on 5 February 2022.

The assistance will focus on fast delivery of multi-purpose cash transfers to address shelter and food needs of the people in need and on the set-up of mobile clinics, provision of mental health and psychosocial support.

It will also help reinforce the preparedness and logistics capacities at local level. This funding comes in addition to the €27 million of humanitarian aid for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region for 2022, announced on 17 February 2022.

Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said “The EU’s additional funding for Madagascar is another indication of our solidarity towards this island nation, which is suffering the devastating consequences of extreme weather events. Our aid is not only financial, however: teams of experts, from the European Commission and the Member States, were quick to reach Madagascar as soon as the cyclone struck, to assess the needs, coordinate the response, and provide emergency support, e.g., with the deployment of water purification modules. I am grateful to all the EU Member States for their solidarity with Madagascar at this challenging time.”

Given the limited travel options with commercial airlines, on 6 February, the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge was activated to bring a pool of technical experts from the European Commission, humanitarian organisations and partners, as well as the EU Civil Protection Teams. 2 flights were organised from Nairobi to Antananarivo for a total of 48 passengers on 9 and 10 February.

The EU response to this crisis is composed of 14 civil protection experts from the Member States, 1 Liaison Officer, and 4 humanitarian aid experts from the European Commission.

In addition, France and Germany offered emergency assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism following a request for assistance by the Malagasy authorities, and have deployed water purification modules. Poland has offered an Emergency Medical Team.

The EU’s emergency satellite Copernicus is supporting emergency responders on the ground with detailed space images of the extent of damage in the affected regions.

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