Residents of Inhambane, a port city in Mozambique, were reinforcing their homes with sandbags and corrugated iron in preparation for the potentially devastating impact of Cyclone Gezani, expected to hit the area on Friday.

The tropical storm tore through Madagascar earlier this week, killing at least 40 people and causing major damage to the Indian Ocean island's second-biggest city Toamasina.

Mozambique has been hit by frequent weather-related disasters that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.

The Southern African country is only just recovering from severe flooding that affected more than 700 000 people and damaged over 170 000 homes in recent weeks, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Mozambique's weather service expects Cyclone Gezani to pass close to Inhambane any time from Friday afternoon, before moving back out into the Mozambique Channel.

People in Inhambane have been placing sandbags on their roofs to try to stop them being blown off by intense winds and barricading windows with sheets of corrugated iron.

Local authorities have restricted sailing, and fishermen are staying home.

"All sailors were informed that there will be strong winds and a cyclone. Today is our turn to fish but we are not doing it," fisherman Jaime Neto said.