Antananarivo — The assessment of the damage caused by tropical cyclone Gezani continues, having so far devastated 25 districts in five regions of the Indian Ocean island. According to the provisional assessment published on February 16 by the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC), on-the-ground assessments and emergency responses are still underway. Damage has been recorded in 49,129 buildings, including two hospitals and seven government offices; 59 people have died, 15 are missing, and 804 have been injured. In total, 423,986 people have been affected (104,706 families), and 27,756 homes have been flooded. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Africa (IFRC Africa) has estimated that 16,428 people have been displaced (4,045 families). The city of Toamasina, the island's second largest, has been the hardest hit, and its residents still lack access to drinking water and, in some cases, electricity.
On February 11, the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar published a letter signed by Jean-Claude Rakotoarisoa, Secretary of the IFRC, in which the bishops appealed for solidarity with the victims of the cyclone. In particular, the bishops urged all Catholic faithful to come to the aid of the affected populations, especially in the Diocese of Toamasina, in the east of the country. The organization has been entrusted to the bishops and diocesan leaders, who asked the faithful to follow their guidelines. On Sunday, February 15, Pope Leo XIV, at the conclusion of the Angelus prayer, expressed his closeness to the Malagasy people affected by Cyclones Fytia and Gezani: "I express my closeness to the people of Madagascar who have been impacted by two cyclones, flooding and landslides within a short period of time. I pray for the victims, their families and for all who have suffered serious damage."
According to Malagasy authorities, the country had already been hit in the northwest by another tropical cyclone in early February, which caused at least seven deaths and displaced more than 20,000 people. Although it did not directly hit land, last Saturday, February 14 it caused four deaths and damage to infrastructure and homes in the provinces of Inhambane and Sofala, in neighboring Mozambique. President Daniel Chapo, speaking on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, confirmed the toll, noting that the number of victims was relatively low thanks to adherence to instructions issued by the authorities. Provincial Governor Francisco Pagula confirmed damage to public infrastructure and homes, although the president emphasized that preventative evacuations and early warnings were crucial in mitigating the disaster's impact.
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Southeast Africa is typically affected by an annual tropical storm season that runs from October to April, a phenomenon that causes severe material damage and numerous casualties each year.
