Tropical Cyclone Gezani struck Madagascar this week, claiming at least 31 lives, injuring dozens, and displacing thousands as fierce winds and heavy rainfall hammered the eastern coastline. The storm has once more highlighted the severe exposure of this impoverished nation to escalating climate-related events.
The cyclone made landfall late Tuesday near the major port city of Toamasina, bringing gusts over 195 km/h (121 mph). It demolished homes, tore up trees, and cut power across wide areas. Madagascar’s meteorological service had placed several regions under red alert, cautioning against severe flooding and landslides as the system pushed further inland across the island nation of over 31 million residents.
According to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC), most deaths resulted from structural collapses in Toamasina, home to around 300,000 people. At least 36 individuals suffered serious injuries, four people are still missing, and more than 6,000 have been evacuated from their homes. Rescue teams persisted with operations even as waters began to subside.
Locals recounted apocalyptic scenes: neighborhoods reduced to rubble, with roofs and windows blown away, downed power lines, and streets choked with debris. Power outages have persisted in Toamasina since the storm hit, severely hampering aid delivery. One resident described the aftermath as a “catastrophic wasteland” of fallen structures and scattered trees.
President Michael Randrianirina, who rose to power after an October military coup, toured the affected zone to evaluate the destruction and console victims. Official videos depicted extensive flooding and ruined buildings, with authorities estimating that up to 75% of Toamasina’s infrastructure sustained damage or total loss, sparking worries over prolonged recovery and economic fallout.
Weakening to a tropical storm after crossing the island, Gezani tracked westward, passing about 100 km north of the capital, Antananarivo, which also faced flood risks. Forecasters warned it might regain strength in the Mozambique Channel, posing a potential renewed threat to Madagascar’s southwestern regions in the days ahead.
Mozambique, still recovering from massive flooding last month that impacted over 700,000 people, has placed its coastal areas on alert as a precaution while tracking the system’s path.
This marks the second major cyclone to batter Madagascar in quick succession, following Cyclone Fytia just under two weeks earlier, which killed 14 and displaced more than 85,000. The United Nations has allocated $3 million in urgent aid to support response and preparedness efforts amid the mounting humanitarian crisis.
Madagascar’s cyclone season, spanning November to March, routinely delivers devastating blows to a country grappling with widespread poverty, weak infrastructure, and constrained rebuilding resources. Over a dozen significant storms have struck since 2020, with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimating average annual infrastructure losses of around $85 million from cyclones, which continue to stall progress and resilience-building.
