Tropical Cyclone Gezani destroyed homes in Madagascar's main port city and left at least 31 dead as it swept across the Indian Ocean island with strong winds and rain, authorities said on Wednesday.
Madagascar's meteorological service issued a red alert for several regions warning of possible flooding and landslides as the storm made landfall late Tuesday with winds of more than 195 km/h (121 mph). It then swept across the large island of 31 million people, many of whom live in poverty and lack adequate shelter from the storms.
Madagascar is particularly susceptible to cyclones blowing in from the Indian Ocean and was hit by another deadly cyclone less than two weeks ago.
The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said building collapses were among at least 31 deaths and at least 36 others were seriously injured as Gezan made landfall in the eastern city of Toamasina. The agency said four people were missing and more than 6,000 people had been displaced from their homes.
Toamasina, home to about 300,000 people, suffered heavy damage, residents told The Associated Press. Authorities said most of the deaths were in that region.
President Michael Randrianirina, who took power in a military coup in October, visited Toamasina to inspect the damage and meet with residents, according to videos posted on his office's Facebook page. The videos showed flooded neighborhoods, homes and shops with broken windows and collapsed roofs, and trees and other debris strewn across the streets.
Randrianirina's office said about 75% of the city's infrastructure was damaged or destroyed.
"It's devastation. Roofs have been blown off by the wind, walls have collapsed, power poles have been knocked down, trees have been uprooted. It looks like a catastrophic landscape," resident Michel, who gave only his first name, said by phone.
Electricity has been out in Toamasina since Tuesday.
Gezani moved west across Madagascar on Wednesday, weakening to a tropical storm as it moved inland, the national weather service said. The storm passed about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital, Antananarivo, one of the regions under a red warning for possible flooding.
Forecasts showed that Gezani was expected to move into the channel between Madagascar and the east coast of Africa on Thursday and warned that it could strengthen back into a tropical cyclone and turn towards the southwest coast of Madagascar next week.
Authorities in Mozambique, where devastating floods last month affected more than 700,000 people, also issued weather alerts and warned that three of the coastal provinces on the Indian Ocean could feel the effects of Gezan if it strengthens again.
Tropical Cyclone Fytia hit Madagascar on January 31, killing 14 people and displacing more than 85,000, according to the disaster management agency.
The United Nations has allocated $3 million from its emergency response fund to help Madagascar prepare for the impacts of Gezan, spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said Monday.
Madagascar's cyclone season runs from November to March and brings repeated weather disasters to one of the world's poorest countries, which barely has time to recover before another one hits.
Madagascar, the world's fourth-largest island, has been hit by more than a dozen tropical storms or cyclones since 2020. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction says they cause about $85 million worth of infrastructure damage each year, which hampers the country's development.
