Post by : Bianca
Haleem
Tropical Cyclone Gezani slammed into Madagascar’s eastern coast, killing nine people and injuring 19, authorities confirmed on Wednesday. The cyclone struck the port city of Toamasina, the nation’s second-largest city, leaving widespread destruction in its path.
Nearly 1,500 residents were evacuated as a precaution in coastal areas around Toamasina. Residents described terrifying scenes as the storm made landfall. Harimanga Ranaivo said, “I have never experienced winds this violent… The doors and windows are made of metal, but they are being violently shaken.”
Gezani is the second cyclone to hit Madagascar this year, just 10 days after Cyclone Fytia killed 14 people and displaced over 31,000, according to the UN humanitarian office.
At its peak, Gezani brought sustained winds of 185 km/h, with gusts reaching nearly 270 km/h. The storm tore metal sheets off rooftops, uprooted large trees, and collapsed homes. Rising sea levels had already caused flooding in parts of Toamasina before the cyclone arrived.
Officials had closed schools and prepared emergency shelters ahead of the storm. Power outages were widespread as walls collapsed, roofs were ripped away, and neighborhoods plunged into darkness.
By Wednesday morning, Madagascar’s meteorological service reported that Gezani had weakened to a moderate tropical storm and moved westward, about 100 km north of the capital, Antananarivo. The storm is expected to cross the central highlands today before moving out into the Mozambique Channel by evening.
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