**Maputo, Mozambique –** Cyclone Gezani has wrought considerable destruction across southern Mozambique, claiming at least four lives and leaving a trail of infrastructural damage in its wake. The powerful storm made landfall on Saturday, battering the coastal province of Inhambane with ferocious winds and torrential rain, plunging thousands into darkness and severing vital water supplies. This latest meteorological onslaught adds to the already precarious situation in Mozambique, a nation still reeling from devastating floods that recently impacted hundreds of thousands.
The city of Inhambane bore the brunt of Gezani’s fury, with wind speeds recorded at an alarming 215 kilometres per hour (134 mph). News reports from the region indicate widespread uprooting of trees and the toppling of power lines, leading to extensive power outages that have affected over 13,000 residents. The disruption to essential services has been a primary concern for officials, with water supplies cut off in several districts, compounding the challenges faced by affected communities.
This cyclone’s arrival comes at a particularly vulnerable time for Mozambique. The country was only just beginning to recover from a period of extreme flooding that, in recent weeks, had inundated vast areas, affecting over 700,000 people and causing significant damage to more than 170,000 homes. The cumulative impact of these successive natural disasters presents a formidable challenge for humanitarian organisations and the Mozambican government, stretching resources and exacerbating the vulnerability of already hard-hit populations. Meteorologists have pointed to the increasing frequency and intensity of such weather events, with scientists suggesting that climate change is a significant contributing factor to the escalating severity of weather-related disasters in the region.
The devastation wrought by Cyclone Gezani has not been confined to Mozambique. The island nation of Madagascar, located to the east, has also suffered grievously from the storm's passage. According to official figures, the cyclone was far more deadly in Madagascar, where it is reported to have caused the deaths of at least 41 people. The economic toll is also substantial, with estimated damages amounting to approximately $142 million. The storm left a significant number of injured, with at least 427 people requiring medical attention, and displaced approximately 16,300 individuals from their homes. In response to the widespread destruction, the Malagasy government has declared a national state of emergency, mobilising resources to address the immediate crisis and begin the arduous task of recovery.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is closely monitoring the situation in both countries, coordinating international efforts to provide assistance. The overlapping crises highlight the urgent need for robust disaster preparedness and response mechanisms, as well as global action to mitigate the effects of climate change, which appears to be amplifying the destructive power of tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean region. The resilience of the affected populations will undoubtedly be tested as they confront the aftermath of Cyclone Gezani and the ongoing threat posed by a changing climate.