18 February

The passage of hurricane Ivan leaves a bitter taste in Sainte-Marie. Nine people were yesterday buried beneath the rubble of a hotel. The town is completely destroyed. Strong winds of 135km / h were recorded.
 
Ivan has disrupted air traffic and airport tarmacs were almost deserted.

YESTERDAY
Hurricane Ivan leaves bad memories in the town of Santa Maria. He began at 6 am in the city with gusts of wind of 137km / h destroying several buildings. The hotel Antsara in the district of Ankirihiry in the Bay of Antsarahaka collapsed. Nine people were there buried beneath the rubble. A distress call from one of the victims to his father living in Antananarivo alerted the man in question.
"Around 8:30, my daughter called me to tell me she was with nine people in the rubble of the hotel, without further details," said the father, contacted by telephone.
According to him, he tried to call his daughter back and contacting all his acquaintances in Sainte-Marie to no avail. Yesterday, the telephone networks of Orange and Celtel were down. Residents of Sainte-Marie were suddenly cut off from any communication with the outside world. The team from the National Bureau of risk management and disaster (BNGRC) also had trouble to get in touch with the local authorities.
Yesterday evening, the victim's father knew nothing of the fate of her daughter. He did not know if relief had reached her or not. The damage does not stop there because the official report received from the advance BNGRC indicates a heavy toll.

Several houses were affected and many trees were felled across the city. With all the roads, people and the equipment are struggling to move because the sea is beginning to reach the tarred roads. According to the BNGRC, it was difficult to receive further information from Sainte-Marie because SSB radio was also broken.

Heavy toll in the East
Hurricane Ivan has made other victims throughout the island. As in the Ambatoroka district in the capital, a couple, whose wife is pregnant, was injured and was transferred to an emergency hospital Ampefiloha. He was buried under the rubble of a wall which collapsed following the torrential rains. The couple has fortunately survived despite some injuries.

After Sainte-Marie, Hurricane Ivan passed through the town of Ampasimbe district, Fénérive East at 9 am, then in the District of Vavantenina at noon with winds of 137km / h. It was at 15h in the district of Andilamena where he also caused enormous damage. As the destruction of the office of the chief medical officer, a public primary school and from the stands of the football stadium without talking about the deterioration of the masts. The regions of Alaotra Mangoro, Atsinana and Analanjirofo are most affected.

The city of Toamasina I also was not spared by the passage of Ivan. In addition to the cutting of some streets, the population is isolated due to lack of telephone communication. Also, water and electricity were cut during the storm. At the same time, no earthly connection was possible on the RN2 because movement of taxis

The official report of BNGRC advance 60 people homeless in the District of Toamasina I. They were able to be housed in the building Soavita. At the same time, the team from UNICEF and BNGRC spoke on emergency relief. Eleven soldiers of the body of the
Civil Protection were dispatched yesterday to unblock the road crossings of the East.

Ivan weakens
The hurricane Ivan crossed many districts. Yesterday around 19h, it was located in the district of Tsaratanàna with a speed of 15km per hour and gusts of wind of 150 km / h. Although its strength weakens, the weather service to Ampasampito provides that the hurricane could move in the district of Anjozorobe, north of the capital. The toll could worsen in the affected districts over the next few days.