The Malagasy government has officially declared a "state of national disaster" after Intense Tropical Cyclone Gezani tore through the island with catastrophic 250 km/h wind gusts.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, Madagascar’s leader, issued an urgent international appeal for aid today, Friday, February 13, 2026, as the full scale of the tragedy emerged.
The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) confirmed that at least 38 people have perished, with six still missing and 374 suffering serious injuries.
Toamasina, the nation's pivotal port city and economic heart, bore the brunt of the storm, with an estimated 75 to 80 percent of its infrastructure destroyed.
The "monstrous" winds and torrential rains have left over 260,000 people classified as disaster victims, many of whom have lost everything they owned in a matter of hours.
A Landscape of Devastation: 18,000 Homes Obliterated and Critical Infrastructure Left in Ruins Across Eastern Madagascar
The cyclone’s fury was relentless, obliterating more than 18,000 homes and damaging or submerging an additional 51,000 structures as it roared across the island’s central regions.
Toamasina remains plunged into darkness and silence, with only five percent of the city’s electricity restored and a total collapse of the local water supply system.
Hospitals, schools, and essential businesses have suffered severe structural damage, with approximately 600 classrooms rendered completely unusable for the foreseeable future, according to UN reports.
Uprooted trees and massive debris have blocked the main artery to the capital, Antananarivo, severely hampering the delivery of life-saving humanitarian supplies and medical teams.
France has already mobilized rescue teams and food aid from nearby Reunion Island, while the UN has released $3 million in emergency funds to kick-start relief efforts.
"Disaster Upon Disaster": Mozambique Braces for Gezani’s Return as Cyclone Gains Strength in the Mozambique Channel
While Madagascar begins the grueling process of recovery, neighboring Mozambique is bracing for a "double catastrophe" as the storm moves back over open, warm waters.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Gezani is currently gaining strength in the Mozambique Channel, threatening to strike coastal provinces that are already reeling from months of record-breaking floods.
Authorities in Sofala, Gaza, and Inhambane have issued high-level red alerts, warning of massive 10-meter waves and hurricane-force winds expected late Friday evening.
Oxfam International warned today that over one million people in Mozambique could be impacted, compounding the misery of the 700,000 residents already displaced by seasonal rains.
The "boomerang" track of the storm means it could potentially curve back toward Madagascar’s southwest coast next week, creating a prolonged and deadly weather emergency for the region.
The Relentless Season: Second Major Storm in Ten Days Leaves Indian Ocean Nations Struggling to Survive
The arrival of Gezani comes just ten days after Cyclone Fytia claimed 14 lives in Madagascar, leaving the population with zero time to recover or rebuild.
The Indian Ocean cyclone season, which runs from November to April, is proving exceptionally brutal this year, fueled by record-high sea surface temperatures and shifting climate patterns.
Humanitarian agencies, including the World Food Programme, are warning of a $18.3 million funding gap as they struggle to provide rice and biscuits to 400,000 people.
With 1.8 million people now facing emergency levels of hunger in Madagascar, the impact of these back-to-back storms could trigger a widespread and long-lasting food security crisis.
As assessments continue and aid ships race toward the coast, the world watches to see if the region can withstand the next wave of this relentless storm season.
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