Madagascar: Tropical Storm Honde - Flash Update No. 1 (04 March 2025)

HIGHLIGHTS

• While Tropical Cyclone Honde passed approximately 100 km off the south-western coast of Madagascar, its wind and rain mainly affected two regions.
• Initial reports indicate that three people have died, one is missing, and 69 others have been injured.
• Approximately 21,600 people have been displaced across several cities in the south, particularly in the districts of Toliara, Belo sur Tsiribihina and Ampanihy.
• The cyclone also caused massive damage to infrastructure, including houses and schools.
• The Government is leading the response, and partners are mobilizing all the stocks available in the south, and some stocks from the capital to support the response.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Approximately 21,600 people have been displaced across several cities in the South, particularly in the districts of Toliara, Belo sur Tsiribihina, and Ampanihy, following the passage of Tropical Storm Honde in the South on 2 March, according to humanitarian partners. Initial reports indicate that three people have died, one is missing, and 69 others have been injured. Thousands of households were affected, with more than 7,200 houses flooded, 913 damaged and 1,924 destroyed. The displaced people are hosted in 54 accommodation sites in several districts. Several schools were damaged, some with totally or partially destroyed classrooms, compromising the resumption of classes.

Tropical Storm Honde continues to move away from the Malagasy coast towards the south-east. It no longer generates any impact on inhabited land, according to Météo France. Honde should weaken in the short term before gradually losing its tropical characteristics from 6 March, then slowly weaken away.

Honde developed in the southern Mozambique Channel and intensified into a tropical storm by 26 February. The system approached Madagascar’s Toliara Province in the south-western coast on 28 February. One of the impacted areas, Ampanihy District and Toliara City, have already experienced prolonged rainfall in recent weeks, leading to displacement. Meanwhile, from 14 to 19 February, Madagascar experienced a prolonged period of adverse weather conditions, which caused extensive flooding in many localities, including the capital, Antananarivo.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Humanitarians are supporting the Government-led response. Search and rescue continue while partners are providing food, non-food items (NFIs), water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) kits, and medicines. The Government deployed a helicopter from the capital, Antananarivo, on 2 March to rescue between 80 and 100 people who were marooned in Androka Commune (Ampanihy District). The BNGRC also mobilized transport from the private sector in Toliara City to support the delivery of aid to the hard-reach municipalities (Androka, Beheloka, Itampolo).

Meanwhile, food security partners have distributed 30 metric tons (mt) of rice and 7 mt of oil in Ampanihy. These supplies are enough to cover five days of rations for displaced people in the Ampanihy District. Partners also distributed NFIs to the displaced people in Ampanihy. Another partner dispatched WASH kits and water treatment supplies alongside implementing awareness-raising campaign, in Ampanihy, Toliara and Morondava. Health partners will deploy additional medicines from the Capital to Ampanihy District via transportation organized by the NDMO. Humanitarian supplies will be depleted after the response to Cyclone Dikeledi in January and now Honde. Partners are calling for additional resources to replenish their stocks as the peak of the cyclone season will continue until April.

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) held a meeting on 27 February with local authorities to coordinate anticipatory actions, followed by an inter-sector coordination meeting on 28 February. A high-level meeting between the Management of the NDMO, agencies and INGOs operating in the south took place on 1 March to accelerate the response and take concrete operational decisions. A stock mapping of available supplies in the south-western cities (Toliara, Ampanihy, Morondava, and in the southeast (Tolangaro), has been shared, with additional resources from ongoing drought and food insecurity responses to be used and reimbursed if needed.