Cyclone causes 31 deaths after smashing into Madagascar

At least 31 people have died after Tropical Cyclone Gezani made landfall in Madagascar’s main port city and collapsed houses on the Indian Ocean island.

Wind speeds exceeded 121 mph and Madagascar’s weather service issued red alerts for several regions warning of possible floods and landslides as Gezani moved across the large island of 31 million people, many of whom live in poverty and have inadequate shelter from storms.

Madagascar is especially vulnerable to cyclones blowing in off the Indian Ocean and was battered by another deadly cyclone less than two weeks ago.

The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said building collapses caused some of the deaths, and at least 36 other people were injured as Gezani made landfall in the eastern city of Toamasina. The agency said four people were missing and more than 2,700 people were evacuated.

Toamasina, with around 300,000 residents, sustained severe damage, residents told The Associated Press. The majority of the deaths were in that region, authorities said.

President Michael Randrianirina, who took power in a military coup in October, visited Toamasina to survey damage and meet residents, according to videos posted on his office’s Facebook page.

The videos showed flooded neighbourhoods, homes and shops with windows blown out and roofs blown off, and trees and other debris strewn across streets.

Mr Randrianirina’s office said around 75% of the city’s infrastructure had been damaged or 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.

Power has been cut off in Toamasina since Tuesday.

Gezani on Wednesday moved west across Madagascar, weakening to a tropical storm as it moved inland, according to the national weather service. The storm passed around 62 miles north of the capital, Antananarivo, one of the regions under a red alert warning for possible flooding.

Forecasts showed Gezani was expected to move into the channel between Madagascar and Africa’s east coast on Thursday, and warned it might strengthen into a tropical cyclone again and turn back toward Madagascar’s south west coast next week.

On January 31, Tropical Cyclone Fytia killed 14 people in Madagascar and displaced more than 85,000, according to the disaster management agency.

The United Nations released 3 million dollars from its emergency response fund to help Madagascar prepare for the impacts of Gezani, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

Cyclone season in Madagascar is from around November to March and brings repeated weather disasters to one of the world’s poorest countries, which barely has time to recover before another hits.

Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island, has been impacted by more than a dozen tropical storms or cyclones since 2020. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction says they cause an estimated 85 million dollars of damage to infrastructure each year that impedes the nation’s development.