Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit the shoreline of Mozambique and Madagascar on 24 February and left a trail of destruction in its wake. Floods and strong winds have destroyed more than 12 000 homes in seven different provinces of Mozambique. The aftermath of Cyclone Freddy is still felt in many coastal districts. On February 30th), Beira, a small city in Sofala province, Mozambique, experienced dreadful floods yesterday after receiving 200mm of rain every 24 hours since Cyclone Freddy struck.
Cyclone Freddy's magnitude, 95 km/h, is rare and very dangerous according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Charts from the NWS (National weather service) show a wind of this magnitude could severely damage a building.
Infrastructure damages are rising as the rainfall is not stopping.3,489 km of roads have been damaged, along with 1012 schools and 55 medical units. Such losses will have a severe economic impact on the already unstable economy of Mozambique, as trading and economic activities are at a halt.
Overall seven people lost their lives, and seven were reported injured. 150 000 people were displaced and sought refuge in relief shelters across Mozambique. Apart from the catastrophic flood and wind damage, Cyclone Freddy threatens to tip the scale in the cholera battle that residents of Mozambique are fighting. Severe outbreaks of cholera were reported earlier this year. Experts fear that the floods and heavy rain will spark an increased number of cases. Since Cyclone Freddy arrived an increase of 17 percent has been reordered in cholera cases, as well as the expansion of the infection zone, now seen across 29 districts.
Water pollution due to the destruction of six central water supply systems and crop destruction has left the residents of Mozambique in danger of facing starvation.
Madagascar, Limpopo (a South African province), Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and many more have been touched by the destruction of Cyclone Freddy as rain continues to fall and flood levels continue to rise.
Share This Post On
0 comments
Leave a comment
You need to login to leave a comment. Log-in
