Governments, UN agencies and NGO partners act ahead of Tropical Cyclone Gezani in Madagascar and Mozambique

The collective frameworks in Madagascar and Mozambique have been activated ahead of Tropical Cyclone Gezani, which is expected to strike both countries in the coming days. Anticipatory actions are now being undertaken to help those at risk, supported by pre-arranged allocations from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF): 3 million US dollars in Madagascar and 4.5 million US dollars for Mozambique. The actions in Mozambique are being co-funded by over 1 million US dollars from partners.

Cyclone Gezani is hours away from Madagascar and heading toward Mozambique. Early funding is already being released from @UNCERF to help communities brace for impact and protect lives. Acting early saves lives.

Tom Fletcher on X (@UNReliefChief)

In Madagascar, United Nations (UN) agencies and their non-governmental organization (NGO) partners are supporting more than 93,000 vulnerable people with life-saving anticipatory assistance, including:

• early warnings
• cash assistance
• support to reinforce shelters and equip evacuation centres
• distribution of essential household items and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) kits
• emergency sanitation services
• emergency mobile-health services, including essential medical supplies to reduce the health risks related to cyclone-induced flooding.

The actions are being facilitated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, and in partnership with the government of Madagascar and humanitarian partners.

Anticipatory actions in Mozambique are also being undertaken in partnership with the government and humanitarian partners, targeting more than 300,000 vulnerable people. As well as early warnings, the actions include supporting temporary accommodation centres to ensure that people will receive food and WASH services. Partners will also provide shelter and dignity kits, and provide people with access to critical health, protection and WASH services.

Activating the frameworks

The collective framework in Madagascar was triggered on 9 February 2026 after the pre-agreed thresholds, based on forecasts from Météo-Madagascar, were reached; these are aligned with Scenario 3 of the Madagascar National Contingency Plan for Cyclones. 

The forecasts indicate that Tropical Cyclone Gezani will rapidly intensify into an Intense Tropical Cyclone when it makes landfall in Madagascar, with sustained winds of 166 km/h and a projected track within 100 km of the Malagasy coast. It is expected to make landfall late on 10 February or early on 11 February local time, with severe risks for many communities, particularly those living along the eastern coast.

The collective framework in Mozambique was also activated on 9 February, based on forecasts from Météo-France La Réunion; the readiness trigger in the framework had already been reached on 8 February. Here, Gezani is expected to make landfall late on 13 February (as a Tropical Cyclone), with communities in Gaza, Inhambane, Maputo and Maputo City expected to be the worst affected. The trigger thresholds are closely aligned with Mozambique’s national anticipatory action protocol for cyclones, with activations based on confirmation from the Technical Council for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction.

This is the second time the collective framework for tropical cyclones in Mozambique has been triggered, following the activation ahead of Tropical Cyclone Jude in March 2025.