A Close Call for an Expat Family
Evacuated from Violent Demonstrations

It was a precarious situation. Violent demonstrations were taking place in Madagascar in response to the outcome of the country's presidential election. MEDEX received a call from the HR director of an international hotel chain with a hotel in Antananarivo. The HR director was concerned about the hotel's general manager - a German expatriate who was the only foreign person employed there.

A MEDEX Assistance Coordinator was able to reach the hotel manager on his cell phone. The hotel manager told MEDEX that one person had been killed in front of the hotel and the telephone lines had been cut. Although the hotel manager did not want to leave Antananarivo, he feared for the safety of his wife and one-year-old daughter, and had been trying to book them on a commercial flight, to no avail.

The MEDEX Emergency Response Team reviewed the latest intelligence and learned that conditions were becoming more and more unstable in the area. Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo remained open, but flight operations had been disrupted and could cease at any time. Certain roads in and out of the city had been blockaded, transportation was crippled by strikes, the Central Bank was closed, and the Madagascar franc was no longer convertible.

Confirming the latest intelligence with one of its security providers, MEDEX recommended evacuation of all non-essential personnel and their families.

MEDEX then consulted with the hotel manager's employer. It was determined that the hotel manager's family would be evacuated to nearby Mauritius, then repatriated home to Germany. Through the specialized security provider, MEDEX was able to secure seats for the wife and child the following day - not a moment too soon. The next day, Mauritius imposed new visa requirements to curb the influx of people from Madagascar.

MEDEX Assistance Coordinators monitored the evacuation and confirmed the family's safe arrival in Mauritius and departure to Germany. Concurrently, an open-ended ticket was provided for the hotel manager's emergency use, should the situation take a turn for the worse.

MEDEX's Emergency Response Team continued to stay on the case, monitoring events in Madagascar and staying in touch with the hotel manager and his employer during the next several months of civil unrest. Once conditions were more stable, MEDEX arranged for the family's happy reunion in Antananarivo.

 

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