Powerful Cyclone Strikes Madagascar
At least 20 people have died after a powerful cyclone struck Madagascar, according to the disaster authority on the Indian Ocean island.
Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Tuesday, impacting the island's main port city, Toamasina.
Madagascar's disaster management office described the situation as "total chaos," reporting that houses collapsed in the affected area where the bodies were discovered. Neighborhoods were plunged into darkness as power lines snapped, while trees were uprooted and roofs were torn off.
Intensity and Impact
The cyclone's landfall is considered likely to be one of the most intense recorded around Toamasina in the satellite era, according to the CMRS cyclone forecaster based on France's Reunion island, as cited by AFP.
The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management reported that many fatalities occurred due to collapsing houses. Cyclone Gezani struck Toamasina—the country's second-largest city—with winds reaching speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph).
"It's total chaos, 90% of house roofs have been blown off, entirely or in part,"said Rija Randrianarisoa, head of disaster management at the Action Against Hunger aid agency, in an interview with AFP.
Authorities have evacuated dozens of injured individuals and hundreds of residents from a district around Toamasina, which has a population of approximately 400,000 people.
Eyewitness Accounts
Residents in and around Toamasina described scenes of devastation as the cyclone made landfall. One local, Harimanga Ranaivo, told :
"I have never experienced winds this violent... The doors and windows are made of metal, but they are being violently shaken."
Context and Preparations
Gezani is the second cyclone to affect Madagascar this year. It arrived just 10 days after tropical cyclone Fytia, which resulted in 14 deaths and displaced over 31,000 people, according to the United Nations humanitarian office.
In anticipation of Gezani's arrival, officials closed schools and expedited preparations for emergency shelters.
Current Status and Leadership Response
On Wednesday morning, Madagascar's meteorological service reported that Gezani had weakened to a moderate tropical storm and moved westward inland, approximately 100 km (60 miles) north of the capital, Antananarivo.
"Gezani will cross the central highlands from east to west today, before moving out to sea into the Mozambique Channel this evening or tonight,"the service stated.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, Madagascar's new leader who seized power in October, was present in Toamasina on Wednesday morning to evaluate the situation firsthand.
Cyclone Season in the Region
The cyclone season in the Indian Ocean around Madagascar typically lasts from November to April and usually features around a dozen storms annually, AFP reports.
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