ShelterBox team fly in to help island hit by cyclone

Life saving help is on its way from a charity in West Cornwall to a paradise island which has been struck by the worst cyclone in its history.

ShelterBox, which is based in Helston, is sending a wave of vital aid to Madagascar in its trademark green crates.

The island, off the coast of Mozambique in southern Africa, was earlier this week blasted by Cyclone Giovanna, which has left more than 16 people dead in its wake, injured dozens more and left an estimated 11,000 homeless.

Aware of the danger posed by the fast moving weather system, ShelterBox Operations had been monitoring Cyclone Giovanna's progress.

The charity mobilised a response team, which is expected to arrive on the island this morning and begin the task of assessing exactly what emergency aid is required.

Alf Evans, ShelterBox operations manager, said the fact that there were relatively few fatalities should not mask the truly horrendous impact of the cyclone on the island.

"Reports indicate few casualties but there could be extensive damage to homes and infrastructure particularly around the coastal towns resulting in a need for emergency shelter."

He added that ShelterBox volunteers David Webber and Stephen Bramfield would be able to provide a full assessment from the ground when they arrived in Madagascar.

The pair are due to meet with the national disaster relief agency, the National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management, to co-ordinate their response.

The island, which is about the size of France and the world's biggest producer of vanilla, is home to a unique ecosystem but remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

It is prone to cyclones and tropical storms, especially in the rainy season between February and May, and the current ShelterBox deployment is their second on the Indian Ocean island.

Cyclone Giovanna, a category four storm, hit the eastern shores of Madagascar in the early hours of February 14, lashing the coast with sustained strong winds of up to 231 kilometres per hour and torrential rains.

Giovanna ripped through the large eastern towns of Tamatave and Brickaville before drenching the capital Antananarivo about 220 kilometres inland.

It continued to hit more than 500 further communities, many of which have still yet to be contacted.

Community leaders have not yet been able to provide accurate casualty figures.

However, experts say Giovanna is comparable to some of the worst cyclones to hit the island; in 2008, Cyclone Ivan smashed Madagascar, killing more than 80 people and leaving over 200,000 homeless. In 1994, Cyclone Geraldo destroyed 300,000 hectares of crops and left thousands homeless.