Cyclone Fytia and Gezani

Madagascar is being hit by back‑to‑back cyclones, cutting off communities from food, basic health services, and other essentials. Two destructive storms have struck the country within just ten days, compounding the crisis. 

The humanitarian situation is severe and rapidly evolving, with impacts already exceeding national coping capacities. Additional events may occur before the cyclone season ends in April or May, as seasonal forecasts predict 10 to 14 weather systems in the southwestern Indian Ocean (compared with a normal average of 10), of which five to eight are expected to intensify into tropical cyclones (normal average of five). 

Cyclone Fytia formed on 28 January 2026, made landfall on 31 January, and crossed the country through 1 February, causing severe flooding and widespread displacement before weakening and moving back out to sea on 2 February. Ten days later, Cyclone Gezani made landfall on 11 February near Toamasina as a Category 4 cyclone, with winds of up to 250 km/h, devastating about 75 per cent of the city and prompting a national disaster declaration as it moved inland on 12 February.