Madagascar is grappling with widespread devastation after Cyclone Gezani tore through the eastern port city of Toamasina, killing at least 31 people and leaving thousands of residents stranded.
The storm struck on Tuesday, bringing catastrophic winds that flattened homes, toppled trees, and disrupted electricity across the city. Authorities described the situation as overwhelming, with emergency teams rushing to evacuate survivors and tend to the injured.
Cyclone Gezani hit Toamasina, Madagascar’s second-largest city, with winds reaching 250 kilometres per hour. The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said many fatalities occurred when houses collapsed under the storm’s force. Power outages left entire neighbourhoods in darkness, while debris littered streets and boats were washed ashore or grounded.
“What happened is a disaster, nearly 75% of the city of Toamasina was destroyed,” said Colonel Michael Randrianirina, Madagascar’s military leader who took power in October. “The current situation exceeds Madagascar's capabilities alone,” he added, highlighting the scale of the crisis.
Forecasters from the CMRS cyclone centre on Reunion Island said Gezani’s impact may be among the most powerful experienced in Toamasina since satellite records began.
Aid organisations reported enormous damage to homes and infrastructure, with Action Against Hunger’s head of disaster management, Rija Randrianarisoa, telling AFP: “It's total chaos, 90% of house roofs have been blown off, entirely or in part.”
Residents described terrifying experiences as the cyclone made landfall. “I have never experienced winds this violent... The doors and windows are made of metal, but they are being violently shaken,” said Harimanga Ranaivo to Reuters.
The storm forced authorities to evacuate hundreds from the hardest-hit districts, home to around 400,000 people.
Gezani is the second major cyclone to strike Madagascar this year. Just ten days prior, tropical cyclone Fytia killed 14 people and displaced over 31,000 others, according to the UN humanitarian office.
Ahead of the storm, officials had closed schools and readied emergency shelters, but the sheer force of the cyclone caused widespread destruction. By Wednesday, Madagascar’s meteorological service reported that Gezani had weakened into a moderate tropical storm and was moving westward inland, about 100 kilometres north of the capital, Antananarivo.
“Gezani will cross the central highlands from east to west today, before moving out to sea into the Mozambique Channel this evening or tonight,” the service said. Cyclone season in the region typically runs from November to April, with about a dozen storms forming annually.
