Nearly 80% of a key port city in Madagascar was destroyed, leaving families, churches and hospitals in urgent need. MAF flew in a team of pastors and surgeons to assess the damage.
Gino Antsatiana Randrianasolo
When Cyclone Gezani tore through the east coast of Madagascar, families faced a night of fear and uncertainty.
Pastor Miarana, leader of the Baptist Church in Ambolomadinika, watched helplessly as the roof of his church and his house were torn down.
“We put the children under the bed so the ceiling would not fall on them,” he said. “The day of the cyclone was very tough. I live near the church and could see in detail each roof being torn off and sent flying. Our house also lost its roof. That night was very hard for us as parents. We protected the kids from being too wet and from the ceiling falling on them. We did not sleep that night.”
By the next day, large parts of Toamasina lay in ruins. Madagascar’s National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) reported 59 deaths and around 800 injured across the region. The storm damaged roughly 600 schools, more than 20 health centres, and two hospitals. While some of the damage occurred in towns surrounding Toamasina, the majority was concentrated in the city itself.
Nearly 80% of Toamasina is estimated to have been destroyed with roofs stripped, walls flattened, roads flooded, and power lines down. Families struggled to secure what remained of their homes, since the cyclone, the city has no electricity or water.
Flying in with MAF, Faly Ravoahangy, Vice President of the Federation of Biblical Baptist Churches in Madagascar and founder of training organisation Madagascar 3M, returned to his hometown to assess the devastation. Joining him were two surgeons, Ted Watts and Tefinirina Razafimanantsoa from the Good News Hospital in Mandritsara, and Pastor Mamy from Real Mission Movement.
“Getting in there was like coming into an apocalyptic scene,” Faly said. “Like a post-war scene. Everything was torn down. Everything was broken.”
Getting in there was like coming into an apocalyptic scene
The team visited four Baptist churches and two hospitals across the city.
At Salazamay, church leader Andrianarisoa Euphrese explained, “You can see the damage; the cyclone was violent. My house and the church building next to it were completely destroyed. Now we live in a small part that did not fully collapse. All church members and the whole neighbourhood were also affected.”
Despite the destruction, believers gathered again that Sunday. “It was encouraging to see their resilience,” Faly said. “Those smiles were priceless, even amid the ruins.”
At local hospitals, the impact was severe. The main hospital had lost half of its roofs, and water still dripped through the ceilings. Only a few patients could be admitted due to the lack of electricity and water.
At Bethany Hospital, surgical staff ran essential departments on a generator, performing four caesarean sections by late morning, all while managing storm damage to their own buildings.
“It was hugely hard work for them,” Ted said. “But it was encouraging to see their determination to keep providing care despite facing so much need themselves.”
From Mandritsara, a road trip to Toamasina could have taken nearly six days in the rainy season after the cyclone. With MAF, the team reached the city in under an hour.
“We were able to be on site quickly,” Faly said. “That allowed us to pray with pastors and doctors, evaluate damage, and bring initial donations to those who needed it most.”
