Tropical Cyclone Gezani has left a trail of destruction across eastern Madagascar, with national authorities confirming at least 31 fatalities and dozens more injured. The National Office for Risk Management and Civil Protection (BNGRC) reported that several people remain missing following the storm, which made landfall with sustained winds of up to 270 kilometers per hour.
The cyclone’s impact has been severe and widespread. BNGRC data indicates that approximately 250,406 people have been classified as disaster victims, with 6,870 individuals displaced from their homes. The city of Toamasina, Madagascar’s second-largest urban center and the capital of the Atsinanana region, has been particularly hard hit, accounting for 29 of the confirmed deaths. In the Atsinanana region alone, an estimated 75% of infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, including homes, power lines, and roads.
President Michael Randrianirina, who assumed leadership following a military coup in October, visited Toamasina on Wednesday to assess the damage and meet with affected residents. Social media footage from the area shows extensive flooding, collapsed structures, and uprooted trees, painting a picture of widespread devastation.
The meteorological outlook suggests the system is now moving into the channel between Madagascar and the African mainland. Forecasts warn that Gezani could re-intensify into a tropical cyclone and potentially curve back toward Madagascar’s southwest coast early next week, raising concerns for additional impacts.
This event marks the second tropical cyclone to strike Madagascar in the 2024-2025 season, coming just ten days after Tropical Cyclone Fytia caused 14 deaths and displaced over 31,000 people, according to the United Nations humanitarian office. The consecutive storms underscore the island nation’s heightened vulnerability to severe tropical weather in the southwest Indian Ocean. Recovery efforts are now focused on emergency response, damage assessment, and preparing for the possibility of further cyclonic activity in the coming weeks.
