Tropical Cyclone Gezani has torn through Madagascar’s key port hub, flattening homes and claiming at least 31 lives as it swept across the Indian Ocean island, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The storm struck late Tuesday, prompting Madagascar’s meteorological authorities to place multiple regions on red alert over fears of severe flooding and landslides. Gezani made landfall with winds exceeding 195 kilometers per hour, then surged across the island nation of roughly 31 million people, many of whom live in fragile housing that offers little protection against extreme weather.
Madagascar frequently faces destructive cyclones from the Indian Ocean and is still reeling from another deadly storm that struck less than two weeks ago.
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According to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management, several of the fatalities were linked to collapsing structures when Gezani slammed into the eastern coastal city of Toamasina. The agency also reported that at least 36 individuals sustained serious injuries, four people remain missing, and more than 6,000 residents have been forced out of their homes.
Residents of Toamasina, a city of about 300,000 people, described widespread destruction in interviews with The Associated Press. Authorities indicated that most of the deaths occurred in that area.
President Michael Randrianirina, who assumed power following a military coup in October, traveled to Toamasina to inspect the damage and engage with affected residents. Footage shared on his office’s Facebook page showed submerged neighborhoods, shattered storefronts, rooftops ripped away, and streets littered with fallen trees and debris.
Officials from Randrianirina’s office reported that roughly three quarters of the city’s infrastructure suffered significant damage or was completely destroyed.
“It’s devastation. Roofs have been blown away, walls have collapsed, power poles are down, trees have been uprooted. It looks like a catastrophic landscape,” resident Michel, who gave only his first name, said by phone.
Electricity has remained cut in Toamasina since Tuesday.
By Wednesday, Gezani had weakened into a tropical storm while moving westward across the country’s interior, the national weather service said. The system passed approximately 100 kilometers north of the capital, Antananarivo, which remains under red alert for potential flooding.
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Weather projections suggest the storm will enter the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and Africa’s eastern coastline on Thursday. Forecasters cautioned that the system could regain cyclone strength and potentially curve back toward Madagascar’s southwestern coast next week.
Mozambican authorities have also issued warnings, noting that three coastal provinces could experience heavy weather linked to Gezani if the storm intensifies again. The country is still recovering from severe flooding last month that affected more than 700,000 people.
Madagascar is also coping with the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Fytia, which struck on Jan. 31, killing 14 people and displacing more than 85,000, according to disaster officials.
In anticipation of Gezani’s impact, the United Nations released $3 million from its emergency response fund to support preparedness efforts, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Monday.
Cyclone season in Madagascar typically spans from November through March, repeatedly battering one of the world’s poorest nations, which often struggles to rebuild before another storm arrives.
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Since 2020, the world’s fourth largest island has endured more than a dozen tropical storms and cyclones. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates that these disasters inflict around $85 million in infrastructure damage annually, slowing the country’s development progress.
