Madagascar was unexpectedly hit by Cyclone Gamane as it veered into the island country’s northern district of Vohemar during the early hours of Wednesday, resulting in at least 11 deaths.
The storm was expected to skim the coast, but it changed course and went into the island causing disruption to 7,000 people with hundreds of homes destroyed. The slow-moving nature of the storm exacerbated its impact, with persistent rainfall and prolonged strong winds causing devastation to infrastructure and significant flooding. The cyclone moved across the island with an average wind speed of 93mph (150km/h) while gusts of up to 130mph were recorded, making it a category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Cyclone Gamane has since weakened to a tropical storm and is expected to clear the island on Friday.
