‘Monstrous’: Cyclone Gezani hits Madagascar, with reports of severe damage

Gezani has hit just 11 days after Cyclone Fytia killed 12 people and displaced 31,000 in northwestern Madagascar.Published On 11 Feb 2026Madagascar’s national weather service has said that hurricane-force winds and heavy rains are expected to continue as Cyclone Gezani makes its way across the Indian Ocean island nation over the coming hours, as residents report widespread damage.Meteo Madagascar warned in an update at 1am local time on Wednesday (22:00 GMT) that “widespread flooding, flash floods, and landslides are highly likely”, as the cyclone makes its way towards the country’s “central highlands from east to west overnight and throughout Wednesday”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Are rainforests now a cause of, rather than the answer to, climate change?list 2 of 4Why are some African countries banning US citizens from entry?list 3 of 4Activist leads tour through ‘architectural crime scene’ of Cape Town’s pastlist 4 of 4Mapping the 10 countries with the most overseas territoriesend of listRed alerts, meaning imminent danger, were issued for the regions of Analanjirofo, Atsinanana, Alaotra Mangoro, Analamanga and Betsiboka in the country’s northeast, Meteo Madagascar said on its website.Gezani has already caused flooding, electricity outages and widespread damage to homes, according to residents who spoke to the AFP news agency.“It’s monstrous. Everything is devastated, roofs have been blown off, floors are flooded, the walls of solid houses have collapsed,” a resident of Toamasina, a port city on Madagascar’s east coast, told AFP by telephone when communications briefly returned.“And I’m talking about the nice neighbourhoods, with well-built houses,” said the resident, who had been left without electricity since the afternoon, five hours before the cyclone hit.Colonel Michael Randrianirina, in power in Madagascar since an October military coup, said he would make his way to Toamasina – the capital of the Atsinanana region and the country’s chief seaport– to be closer to the people when Gezani had passed.