France stands alongside the Malagasy people in the face of the damage caused by Cyclone Batsirai, which has left several people dead and displaced tens of thousands.
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior are making active efforts to address the most urgent needs and support the Malagasy authorities’ action, at the latter’s request.
On 8 February, the Interior Ministry dispatched a team of 60 rescue workers from the armed forces’ emergency services, who will work with their Malagasy counterparts among other things, their mission will consist in setting up a water purification unit with the capacity to produce 250,000 liters of drinking water a day, to support the disaster victims.
The detachment will also be capable of carrying out air reconnaissance using drones.
The team was deployed under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM).
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, through its Crisis and Support Centre, is also subsidizing the deployment of 75 tonnes of emergency aid by the French Red Cross, to help 3,000 families (more than 15,000 people).
This support will make it possible to deploy equipment prepositioned by the French Red Cross’s Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform (PIROI), to build emergency shelters for the most affected people.