The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of more than 130 mph as it made landfall shortly after midnight on Monday just east of the Malagasy capital of Antananarivo.

An estimated 11,000 people were left homeless after the storm pummeled the center of the island nation, ripping roofs off homes and triggering flash floods.

The United Nations Children's Fund, the country’s national office for disaster response and other humanitarian agencies quickly geared up in the wake of the storm to help those most affected.

Madagascar’s cyclone season runs from November to April.

Last February, Cyclone Bingiza killed at least 34 people.

A year earlier, Tropical Storm Hubert killed more than 80.

Cyclone Giovanna Track

Satellite Loop Data: CIMSS