Cyclone Gezani shreds Madagascar and threatens Mozambique

Cyclone Gezani has carved a devastating path through Madagascar, leaving at least 38 people dead and displacing more than 12,000 as the powerful storm made landfall on the country’s east coast this week. The cyclone struck the port city of Toamasina, home to around half a million residents, with sustained winds estimated at up to 250 kilometres per hour, flattening vast swathes of infrastructure and triggering widespread flooding. Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management reported six people are missing and hundreds injured as emergency crews continue to assess the scale of destruction.

The full extent of the humanitarian toll in Madagascar has come into sharper focus as authorities update casualty figures and displacement figures. Official tallies indicate 38 confirmed fatalities, with six unaccounted for, and at least 374 people sustaining injuries amid collapsed homes and toppled structures. More than 18,000 dwellings were completely destroyed and tens of thousands more damaged or inundated by storm waters, leaving scores of families without shelter. Telecommunications and transport links to many affected regions remain unstable or severed, complicating relief efforts.

President Michel Randrianirina declared a state of national disaster as widespread destruction overwhelmed public services in Toamasina and surrounding districts. “The cyclone has ravaged up to 75 per cent of the city and its environs,” the president said, urging international solidarity to help meet urgent needs for food, water, medical supplies and temporary housing. Debris-strewn streets, uprooted trees and flattened roofs have become common sights as residents and volunteers sift through the wreckage.

Eyewitness accounts from Toamasina paint a stark picture of the storm’s ferocity. One resident described waking to hear the howling wind and then finding their home reduced to rubble. “We lost everything,” another local said as families gathered on cracked pavements, clutching bags of salvaged possessions. Aerial and ground-level images show entire neighbourhoods submerged in floodwaters and chaotic traffic as evacuation efforts continue.

Experts warn that Madagascar’s vulnerability to cyclones is exacerbated by factors such as widespread poverty, fragile housing and limited disaster preparedness in many rural and urban communities. The cyclone hit just days after another tropical storm affected the region, amplifying the strain on emergency response systems and humanitarian resources. The consecutive nature of these weather events has intensified needs for long-term rebuilding and climate resilience strategies among local authorities and international partners.

The cyclone’s arrival has also swollen the ranks of people classified as disaster victims to well over a quarter of a million, with many facing the looming threat of waterborne disease, food insecurity and loss of livelihoods. Clinics and hospitals, themselves damaged or inundated, are stretched as they attempt to care for the injured and prevent outbreak conditions. Schools and community centres have been repurposed as temporary shelters, though overcrowding and limited sanitation present further challenges.

As Madagascar contends with the immediate fallout, attention is increasingly shifting to neighbouring Mozambique, where storm warnings have been issued along the southern coastline. Forecast models suggest the cyclone could regain strength over the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel before brushing or making landfall on Friday, bringing heavy rains and high winds to coastal provinces already grappling with saturated soil and previous flooding events. Authorities in Mozambique’s Inhambane and Sofala provinces, among others, have mobilised contingency plans and issued alerts for potential gale-force conditions.

Meteorologists explain that while February is within the climatological peak of the Southwest Indian Ocean cyclone season, the heightened risk to Mozambique arises from the region’s existing hydrological stress following weeks of rainfall. Flood defences and river systems are under pressure, meaning even peripheral impacts from Gezani could trigger flash flooding and compound existing humanitarian strains. Some forecasts warn of coastal storm surges and waves reaching several metres in height, with hazardous conditions extending further inland.

Local officials and international aid groups are racing to pre-position assistance ahead of potential impacts along the Mozambican coast. Emergency shelters are being readied, and logistical support is being coordinated to ensure rapid distribution of food, potable water and medical supplies should the storm make a direct or near-coastal passage. These preparations reflect hard lessons from past cyclone seasons, where delayed response and inadequate infrastructure contributed to amplified human and economic losses.