WFP warns of growing humanitarian needs in Madagascar after back-to-back cyclones hit, with limited resources available

In the space of three weeks, Madagascar has been hit by back-to-back cyclones.

An estimated 400,000 people are facing acute needs because of these back-to-back shocks - with cyclone Fytia bringing heavy rains and flooding, and cyclone Gezani resulting in damage due to its strong winds, with gusts of up to 250 km/h.

I’ve just come back from the cyclone-hit Tamatave, Madagascar’s second largest city, and the scale of destruction is overwhelming. I was on a mission with the Resident Coordinator, the Representatives of UNICEF and IOM, and key humanitarian donors to assess the situation and conducted a site visit where IOM, UNICEF and WFP are coordinating their responses. The President of the Refondation de la Republique de Madagascar received the delegation, accompanied by concerned ministers.

The authorities have reported that 80 percent of the city has been damaged. The city is running on roughly five percent of electricity and there is no water. WFP’s office and one warehouse were also completely destroyed.

Assessments are ongoing but to date authorities report 38 deaths, 374 people injured and over 260,000 persons affected. Families have lost their homes and many buildings, businesses and schools, even the hospital, have suffered much damage.

During my visit, I saw families trying to recover the little that was left of their home; many are spending the night in homes whose roofs have been torn off, this at a time when rain is frequent. Uprooted trees and debris across the city are blocking streets. Fuel is difficult to come by.

A multisectoral aerial assessment facilitated by the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and coordinated by OCHA took place yesterday to gather additional insights about the scale of the destruction also beyond the city of Tamatave – results will be available in the coming days and will inform the humanitarian response. UNHAS is also conducting special flights for humanitarian actors.

The government has declared the situation as a state of national disaster and has appealed for international aid.

In addition to the urgent need for food, we are concerned about water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions, as the lack of clean water and damaged infrastructure raises the risk of disease outbreaks. There are also rising protection concerns for vulnerable groups, particularly for women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

Ahead of Cyclone Gezani’s landfall, WFP acted early. Pre-arranged funding from CERF and Germany has been critical to act in anticipation of the shock: Together with the Government and the Malagasy Red Cross, we are providing anticipatory cash assistance to 11,000 of the most vulnerable households to help them withstand the shock from this latest disaster, a first for the country.

This early action allowed families to purchase food, protect essential assets, and better prepare before the storm struck.

In the immediate aftermath, we are mobilizing our last food stocks, including fortified biscuits and rice, which we will distribute in close coordination with national disaster relief teams. This rapid assistance will support 18,000 people following the two cyclones.

However, the needs I have witnessed on the ground far exceed our current capacity.

Beyond the anticipatory actions and rapid responses planned, no funding is available for a cyclone response, and urgent donor support is essential to secure rapid delivery and bridge pipeline gaps in support of people affected by cyclones.

A cash-based response is critical to quickly assist at scale, restore purchasing power for affected households, and stimulate local markets.

Families are telling us they have lost everything. Many are sheltering in damaged homes or temporary sites, uncertain about how they will access their next meal.

This is not just an emergency response moment; we will need sustained support over the coming months to help people recover, rebuild, and strengthen their resilience against further shocks.

All of this comes on top of an already critical food security situation. Before the cyclones, 1.57 million people were food insecure across Madagascar, including 84,000 facing emergency levels of hunger. That number is projected to rise to 1.8 million.

Funding shortfalls remain alarming. Our overall emergency response faces a USD18.3 million gap over the next six months. These constraints have already forced us to reduce lean season assistance elsewhere in the country to just 10 percent of planned beneficiaries.

Notes to editors:

For high resolution photos and broadcast quality footage contact wfp.media@wfp.org

#                             #                       #

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_africa @PamMadagascar