Madagascar: Humanitarian impact of Tropical Cyclone Fytia Flash Update No. 3 (06 February 2026)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tropical Cyclone Fytia made landfall on 31 January, triggering widespread flooding across north-western Madagascar. As of 6 February, 12 deaths were reported, more than 31,000 people displaced and over 200,000 affected across 35 districts in nine regions, with Boeny Region the worst affected.
• Nearly 18,600 houses were flooded, damaged, or destroyed, while 493 classrooms and 20 health facilities sustained damage. Extensive losses to rice fields—up to 70 per cent in the hardest-hit districts—and livestock are severely undermining livelihoods and food security.
• Public health risks are rising as water points have been flooded and health and nutrition services disrupted, compounded by medical supply stockouts and heightened risks of disease outbreaks, including mpox. River transport and school classes remain suspended in the most affected areas.
• The Government is leading the response with support from humanitarian partners, providing food, cash, wash and health assistance, and supporting evacuations and search-and-rescue operations. However, prolonged road inaccessibility is severely constraining assessments and aid delivery, requiring continued reliance on air, sea and river transport.
• An estimated 93,000 people will require urgent humanitarian assistance over the next three months, with funding needs of approximately US$11 million.
• Meanwhile, a new tropical system formed on 5 February in the Indian Ocean, approximately 1,200 km off Madagascar’s north-eastern coast, and remains a tropical depression moving south-southwest. While no significant intensification is expected over the next 48 hours, the system could strengthen as it moves westward toward Madagascar later in the period, subject to evolving forecasts.