In Madagascar, Odile is striving for more inclusive cyclone risk management

Odile, 36, lives in northern Madagascar. Just over a year ago, the young garment-maker was caught up in the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Gamane and almost lost her life. Very active in the town's disability community, Odile has been contributing to a project implemented by HI to reduce climate risks. She is convinced that raising awareness and sharing useful information are crucial to avoiding humanitarian disasters.

A night Odile will never forget

When asked how she is, Odile replies that she's doing fine! The young woman’s right knee was amputated several years ago due to an infection. She has never been fitted with a prosthetic limb and has been getting around on crutches since the operation, which made it extremely difficult to evacuate her home when she needed to. Last year, at the end of March, Odile found herself trapped in her house by rising floodwaters during the passage of Cyclone Gamane. She recounts how the water rose into her home, despite it being above ground level. The flooding took her by surprise, and she woke around 10pm when a neighbor shouted to warn her that the river was breaking its banks and the water was rising.

“When I came around, I realized that the water was already coming up through my front door and was also pouring through my window. By the time I managed to free myself and get out of my house with my crutches,I was already waist-deep in water. I was really scared,” she adds.

Once out of her house, Odile made her way unaided to a building that served as an emergency accommodation site. To get there, she had to cross a bridge, part of which collapsed later that night, unable to withstand the pressure of the floodwaters. She arrived at 11pm and sheltered there for five days until the water receded.

“When I got home, I quickly realized that everything was a mess, but at least I hadn't lost everything! Despite the chaos, I had remembered to lock the door,” she says, laughing.

Anticipation and preparation 

Odile also admits that she didn't believe the warnings before the water came. Despite being a member of an association for people with disabilities, attending training courses, and participating in risk-preparedness workshops with HI, she didn't take the flood warnings seriously.

“I was stubborn! A few days before the cyclone, when I saw that the sky wasn't overcast and that there was no rain or wind, I thought that the president of the association was exaggerating when he warned us to take shelter... I'll never make that mistake again!” she exclaims.

Odile joined the association in 2023, when she first arrived in Ambilobe. She says it made her very happy to meet other people with disabilities and discuss issues they had in common! After the cyclone, Odile became even more active within the association. She helped to draw up evacuation protocols, sharing her experience and highlighting the specific needs she had identified, especially the need to ensure the accessibility of public buildings, such as the accommodation centers.

“I really enjoyed taking part in this project and the workshops organized by HI. It was very important for me to do my part, and I'm also very happy to have gained new skills in managing the risks of climate disasters. Now I know what to do in anticipation and how to react when a cyclone is approaching,” she adds. 

For Odile, the most important takeaway is the importance of awareness and preparation.

Continuing to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities

Looking ahead to the coming hurricane seasons, Odile hopes that more will be done for her and her peers with disabilities. She feels that NGOs and associations sometimes do more than the authorities, although progress is being made. In concrete terms, she would like the State to do more to support people with disabilities and facilitate their economic integration into the community, giving them a free stand at the market to sell their work, for example. People with disabilities have limited economic opportunities, and their resources are severely impacted when disaster strikes. In Odile’s case, her sewing machine was destroyed in the floods. The water made it unusable, and she has been unable to find one as good as the one she lost.

“I want to help break the vicious cycle! My dream now is to become an entrepreneur and develop my dressmaking business.”

The must for Odile? To buy a new, more professional sewing machine that allows her to do overlock and zig-zag stitching.