Cyclone Gezani Claims 36 Lives and Devastates Thousands of Homes in Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO – In a devastating 24-hour period, Cyclone Gezani claimed the lives of at least 36 people, injured over 370, and obliterated nearly 18,000 homes across Madagascar, officials reported on Thursday.

In response to the catastrophe, Madagascar’s president has declared a national disaster, appealing to global leaders for assistance to support the predominantly impoverished island nation in the Indian Ocean.

The powerful tropical cyclone struck late Tuesday, unleashing havoc in the key eastern port city of Toamasina before advancing inland, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management confirmed on Thursday that the death toll had escalated to at least 36, with six individuals still unaccounted for. The storm impacted more than 250,000 residents and caused injuries to 374 people.

Officials reported that 32 of the fatalities occurred in the Toamasina region, a critical economic center. President Michael Randrianirina announced that 75% of the city sustained damage or was completely destroyed.

Many of Madagascar’s 31 million people live in houses that give inadequate shelter from strong storms and authorities said many of the deaths were caused by building collapses.

The disaster agency said 17,980 houses were destroyed and more than 37,000 others were damaged by Gezani, which brought winds in excess of 195 kilometers per hour (121 miles per hour).

Drone video released by the disaster agency showed the extent of the damage in Toamasina, home to more than 300,000 people. Almost every building sustained major damage by having their roofs or other parts of the structures ripped off. Many buildings were flattened completely, while trees were stripped bare or uprooted and left lying in roads across the city.

Residents trudged through floodwater that reached to their knees as they began to piece their lives back together.

“We can clearly see what Toamasina needs right now: above all, food, basic necessities, and building materials to quickly rebuild everything that has been destroyed in Toamasina and its surroundings,” Randrianirina said after he visited the city that took the brunt of the cyclone. He called on all of Madagascar’s people to help with the recovery effort.

Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast, is especially vulnerable to destructive storms that blow in off the Indian Ocean. It has been hit by more than a dozen cyclones or strong tropical storms since 2020.

A cyclone hit the northwest part of the island just last month, killing at least 14 people.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa