On Tuesday, February 10, Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Madagascar’s east coast, bringing exceptionally violent gusts of 180–200 km/h that devastated the city of Toamasina. The cyclone caused widespread destruction, submerging neighborhoods, destroying homes, cutting off roads, and leaving the region without power or telecommunications. The city was quickly paralyzed, with travel rendered dangerous by debris, fallen power poles, and downed cables.
The human and material toll is severe. Initial assessments by the Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization and the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) reported 31 deaths—including 29 in Toamasina II—four missing persons, and 35 injuries. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected, with several thousand displaced and housed in emergency reception centers. Basic services in shelters, such as toilets, showers, and water tanks, are in place but insufficient for the growing number of displaced families, raising concerns about health risks and social tensions.
Humanitarian response efforts began immediately despite logistical challenges. Fire departments, civil protection services, the military, and gendarmerie were mobilized, supported by teams from Antananarivo. Action Against Hunger provided chainsaws for clean-up, generators, and satellite connections to support coordination amid power outages. Emergency sanitation operations started on February 11, while efforts continue to restore essential services and provide life-saving assistance.
The urgent needs are substantial, with several million dollars required to provide emergency shelters for more than 6,800 people, access to safe drinking water, healthcare, food aid, cash transfers, and protection for vulnerable populations. Humanitarian actors, including Action Against Hunger, are distributing kitchen and hygiene kits and implementing cash-for-shelter and shelter kit programs funded by the European Union (ECHO) and Start Network. Mobile water purification stations will also be deployed based on ongoing assessments.
Cyclone Gezani has left a deeply scarred region, with destruction affecting homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods. While immediate relief efforts are underway, the scale of the disaster signals a long-term crisis requiring coordinated support, increased funding, and sustained reconstruction to help affected communities recover and rebuild.
