The president of Madagascar's transitional government, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, visited various flooded areas of Toamasina on Wednesday. The aim of the visit was to assess the extent of the damage caused by Cyclone Gezani in Madagascar's second-largest city.
A cyclone with violent winds reaching 250 kilometers per hour has left dozens dead and injured, destroying homes and causing widespread flooding, the disaster management authority for the Indian Ocean island said Wednesday.
Nearly 75% of the city of Toamasina has been destroyed, declared the transitional president, who visited victims in hospitals. "The current situation is beyond the capacity of Madagascar alone," stated Colonel Michael Randrianirina Randrianirina. This was a tacit appeal for international aid in light of the scale of the disaster.
The storm also caused devastation in the Atsinanana region surrounding the city, authorities said, adding that post-disaster assessments were still underway. "It's total chaos: 90% of the roofs of houses have been torn off, either completely or partially," said the disaster management officer for the humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger.
