Cyclone Gezani hits Madagascar, death toll rises to over 50
Cyclone Gezani hit Madagascar’s east coast on February 10, 2026. It was not a mild storm. It formed over very warm ocean water and came with strong winds, storm surge, and heavy rain.
Madagascar’s disaster agency and international teams said Toamasina, a major port city, was hit the worst. Winds were reported near 180 km/h, with gusts close to 230 km/h when it made landfall. Roofs were blown away. Walls fell. Many areas lost electricity and phone networks. Roads went underwater, and trees crashed down across streets.
The damage quickly turned into a human tragedy. Reports said at least 40 people died, and many others were injured. Hundreds of thousands were affected. Thousands of families were forced to leave their homes because of broken buildings and rising water. In some places, weak homes could not survive such powerful winds.
Gezani also came at a bad time. It arrived soon after another cyclone, Fytia, which had already put pressure on people and relief teams. When cyclones come one after another, recovery becomes very hard. People do not get enough time to fix homes, buy food again, or save money. Shelters stay crowded. Clean water becomes limited. Illness risk increases when floodwater mixes with dirty sewage.
For Madagascar, cyclones are not unusual. There are clear reasons.
- Madagascar lies in the southwest Indian Ocean cyclone zone, where storms often form and grow stronger over warm seas. When ocean temperatures are high, cyclones can intensify quickly.
- The cyclone season matches the region’s weather pattern. In this area, cyclones are more common from late October or early November to April, when conditions are best for storm formation. This period also overlaps with heavy rains, which increase flood risk.
- The island’s long coastline makes it exposed. Storms moving west or southwest often hit the East Coast, pushing seawater inland and dumping intense rainfall.
- Madagascar’s landscape can worsen floods. Highlands force moist air upward, which can increase rainfall. Rivers can rise fast. Low-lying towns and cities then flood, and rural roads can wash away, slowing rescue and aid.
- Weak housing and poor drainage make the impact worse. Many homes are not built to handle cyclone winds. When roofs and walls are fragile, a cyclone can quickly turn into a mass displacement crisis. That is why the same storm strength can cause far more damage in one place than another.
Gezani shows a tough reality: Madagascar is on the frontline of these storms. Cyclones will keep coming. But the level of destruction can be reduced. Stronger building rules, safer town planning, better early warnings, and faster relief delivery can help turn a cyclone from a national disaster into an emergency that people can survive.
#MadagascarCyclone #CycloneGezani #MadagascarFloods #ClimateChangeAfrica #TropicalCycloneImpact #SouthwestIndianOceanStorms #MadagascarClimateCrisis #ExtremeWeatherMadagascar #ToamasinaStormDamage
Cyclone Gezani hits Madagascar, death toll rises to over 50
Cyclone Gezani hit Madagascar’s east coast on February 10, 2026. It was not a mild storm. It formed over very warm ocean water and came with strong winds, storm surge, and heavy rain.
Madagascar’s disaster agency and international teams said Toamasina, a major port city, was hit the worst. Winds were reported near 180 km/h, with gusts close to 230 km/h when it made landfall. Roofs were blown away. Walls fell. Many areas lost electricity and phone networks. Roads went underwater, and trees crashed down across streets.
The damage quickly turned into a human tragedy. Reports said at least 40 people died, and many others were injured. Hundreds of thousands were affected. Thousands of families were forced to leave their homes because of broken buildings and rising water. In some places, weak homes could not survive such powerful winds.
Gezani also came at a bad time. It arrived soon after another cyclone, Fytia, which had already put pressure on people and relief teams. When cyclones come one after another, recovery becomes very hard. People do not get enough time to fix homes, buy food again, or save money. Shelters stay crowded. Clean water becomes limited. Illness risk increases when floodwater mixes with dirty sewage.
For Madagascar, cyclones are not unusual. There are clear reasons.
- Madagascar lies in the southwest Indian Ocean cyclone zone, where storms often form and grow stronger over warm seas. When ocean temperatures are high, cyclones can intensify quickly.
- The cyclone season matches the region’s weather pattern. In this area, cyclones are more common from late October or early November to April, when conditions are best for storm formation. This period also overlaps with heavy rains, which increase flood risk.
- The island’s long coastline makes it exposed. Storms moving west or southwest often hit the East Coast, pushing seawater inland and dumping intense rainfall.
- Madagascar’s landscape can worsen floods. Highlands force moist air upward, which can increase rainfall. Rivers can rise fast. Low-lying towns and cities then flood, and rural roads can wash away, slowing rescue and aid.
- Weak housing and poor drainage make the impact worse. Many homes are not built to handle cyclone winds. When roofs and walls are fragile, a cyclone can quickly turn into a mass displacement crisis. That is why the same storm strength can cause far more damage in one place than another.
Gezani shows a tough reality: Madagascar is on the frontline of these storms. Cyclones will keep coming. But the level of destruction can be reduced. Stronger building rules, safer town planning, better early warnings, and faster relief delivery can help turn a cyclone from a national disaster into an emergency that people can survive.
#MadagascarCyclone #CycloneGezani #MadagascarFloods #ClimateChangeAfrica #TropicalCycloneImpact #SouthwestIndianOceanStorms #MadagascarClimateCrisis #ExtremeWeatherMadagascar #ToamasinaStormDamage
