Tropical Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Madagascar’s eastern coast on 10 February 2026, striking the port city of Toamasina with maximum sustained winds of 211 km/h.
The system, which formed in the Southwest Indian Ocean on 6 February, passed north of Mauritius and Reunion before intensifying into a Category 4 equivalent cyclone prior to impact.
This follows the devastating passage of Cyclone Fytia, which affected the island just ten days earlier, claiming 14 lives and impacting over 85,000 people.
At least 36 people have died, six remain missing and 374 have been injured, according to national authorities. An estimated 257,222 people (70,353 households) have been affected, including 8,852 displaced, most of whom are sheltering in 45 temporary sites.
Nearly 18,000 houses have been destroyed, over 37,000 damaged and close to 12,000 flooded. Around 600 classrooms have been destroyed or severely damaged.
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMSR867) was activated on 11 February to provide satellite monitoring and impact analysis.
While the center of Gezani moved into the Mozambique Channel on 12 February, a red alert remains in effect for central-western Madagascar due to ongoing heavy rainfall and flooding risks.
