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UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and its partners in Madagascar are working with the government's office of national disaster and risk management to respond to the immediate humanitarian needs following tropical cyclone Enawo, a UN spokesman said here Tuesday.
Tropical cyclone Enawo is the most powerful storm in 13 years.
"UN agencies have scaled up their presence to support the government in responding to the potentially devastating humanitarian impacts of this natural disaster which struck the island today," the deputy UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, said at a daily news briefing here.
About 760,000 people are likely to be directly affected and nine regions are at high risk of either floods or severe impact of winds.
Tropical cyclone Enawo pushed ashore Tuesday morning in northeastern Madagascar with winds equal to a Category 4 hurricane, reports said.
Aid workers were on alert as the storm lashed the coastline, the reports said, adding that there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Enawo is forecast to rapidly weaken as it drives inland over the mountainous terrain of Madagascar, the reports added.
