Tropical Cyclone Gezani

Cyclone Gezani made landfall as a powerful system in Toamasina, Madagascar, bringing life-threatening conditions to the island’s eastern coast. With sustained winds exceeding 195 km/h, the storm triggered a high-level emergency across the region.

Key Statistics;

• Casualties: At least 20 confirmed deaths.

• Injuries: 33 people reported injured.

• Displacement: Approximately 2,700 residents forced to flee their homes.

• Infrastructure: 75% of Toamasina’s infrastructure sustained damage.

• Utilities: Widespread power outages and communication failures.

  Government Response:

The Madagascar Meteorological Department issued a Red Alert, the highest warning level, citing extreme risks of:

1. Flash Flooding from torrential rainfall.

2. Landslides in mountainous inland regions.

3. Storm Surges affecting coastal shipping and port operations.

How are Cyclones Named?

The naming of tropical cyclones is a systematic process managed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It isn’t random; it’s designed to help the public easily communicate and remember storms during emergencies.

1. Regional Lists:

The world is divided into basins (e.g., South-West Indian Ocean, North Atlantic). Each basin has its own pre-determined list of names. For Madagascar, names are provided by the Meteo France Réunion and the RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee.

2. Alphabetical Order:

Lists are usually arranged alphabetically. The first storm of the season starts with ‘A’, the second with ‘B’, and so on. Gezani (starting with ‘G’) indicates it was the seventh named storm of the current season in that region.

3. Cultural Relevance:

Member countries within each region propose names. These names are typically familiar to the local population (often neutral, alternating between male and female) to ensure clear communication during broadcasts.

4. Retirement of Names;

If a storm is particularly deadly or costly (like Gezani appears to be), its name is retired from the list out of respect for the victims and to avoid confusion in historical records. A new name is then chosen to replace it.

Major Cyclones of 2025:

The 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 seasons saw several high-impact storms across the Indian Ocean basins:

Cyclone Name	Date	Region	Impact Highlights
Cyclone Senyar	Nov 2025	North Indian Ocean	One of the deadliest of the year; caused massive flooding in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Cyclone Ditwah	Nov/Dec 2025	North Indian Ocean	Stalled near Sri Lanka, causing significant casualties and heavy rainfall.
Cyclone Shakhti	Oct 2025	Arabian Sea	A Severe Cyclonic Storm that affected the western coast of India (Gujarat/Maharashtra) and Oman.
Cyclone Jude	March 2025	SW Indian Ocean	Struck Madagascar and Mozambique, destroying over 88,000 homes in Mozambique alone.
Cyclone Honde	Feb 2025	SW Indian Ocean	Hit southern Madagascar, causing widespread flooding shortly after earlier storms.