Seychelles Post Disaster Needs Assessment, Tropical Cyclone Fantala, April 2016

On 17 and 19 April 2016, Farquhar Atoll, located in the Seychelles’ Outer Islands, was hit by the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded to have developed over the Indian Ocean basin. Tropical Cyclone Fantala was the sixth cyclone occurring during the 2015/16 tropical cyclone season, making landfalls twice on Farquhar Atoll, damaging almost all the infrastructure and coconut palm tree groves on the atoll.

This PDNA aims to: (i) identify the effects of Tropical Cyclone Fantala on Farquhar Atoll and potential impacts on nearby islands; (ii) identify needs for the rehabilitation, propose restoration options, and assess their costs; and (iii) provide training to officials from national and local government agencies and other relevant stakeholders on the PDNA methodology and the components of a Disaster Recovery Framework that integrates disaster risk reduction considerations as part of its guiding principles.

The assessment targeted those sectors identified by the Government as the most critical: environment, including terrestrial ecosystems, coast, coral reefs; agriculture (coconut groves) and infrastructure, including buildings, and telecommunication infrastructures.