Cyclone Gezani has hit Madagascar, bringing hurricane-force winds, heavy rains, and severe damage. It struck just 11 days after Cyclone Fytia killed 12 people and displaced 31,000 residents in the northwestern part of the island. Madagascar’s national weather service, Meteo Madagascar, warned on Wednesday that "widespread flooding, flash floods, and landslides are highly likely" as Gezani moves from east to west across the country’s central highlands. Red alerts were issued for the Analanjirofo, Atsinanana, Alaotra Mangoro, Analamanga, and Betsiboka regions in northeast Madagascar. Residents reported flooding, power outages, and damage to homes. A Toamasina resident said, "It’s monstrous. Everything is devastated, roofs have been blown off, floors are flooded, the walls of solid houses have collapsed." Toamasina is a key port city on the east coast and was hit by the most intense part of the storm, according to cyclone forecasters from CMRS on Reunion Island. They said this landfall could be one of the strongest recorded in the region's satellite era, rivaling Cyclone Geralda in 1994, which killed at least 200 people. Though downgraded to a tropical storm inland, Gezani is expected to strengthen again as it moves toward Mozambique through the Mozambique Channel by Thursday night. Colonel Michael Randrianirina, Madagascar’s leader since an October military coup, said he plans to visit Toamasina to support residents after the storm passes. Cyclone Gezani follows closely on the heels of Cyclone Fytia, which hit on January 31, causing death, displacement, and damage to thousands of houses, schools, and health centers. The UN's humanitarian agency highlighted the risk of public health issues due to floods affecting drinking water supplies. Experts warn that climate change is making storms like Gezani and Fytia more intense and destructive, especially for island nations facing rising sea levels and warming oceans.