Cyclone Freddy puts Mozambique s early warning system to the test - Mozambique reliefweb.int - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reliefweb.int Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
3 Feb 2021 by david MAPUTO, Mozambique
Aid workers are scrambling to help an estimated 175,000 people affected by Cyclone Eloise which ripped through the south of Mozambique recently, causing major devastation in the city of Beira and the surrounding Buzi district.
According to reports by aid agencies and local media, more than 8,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged in Sofala province, with many thousands housed in emergency accommodation centres.
Immediate concerns are for the provision of basic supplies such as food, water and hygiene facilities, as well as the associated risks of the spread of disease. In addition to water-borne diseases such as cholera, authorities are worried about the spread of COVID-19 in the cramped conditions of the emergency facilities.
Mozambique’s relief agency, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGRD), has warned that more than 30,000 people may be affected by flooding in the next two days in the southern Gaza province.
The relief agency has attributed the flooding to the overflow of the Limpopo and Shingwedzi rivers due to heavy rains caused by Cylone Eloise.
INGRD warned those living in the districts of Xai-Xai and Limpopo districts to leave the area for their own safety due to the expected floodings. A tropical cyclone that hit central Mozambique on the weekend has displaced thousands of people and caused severe flooding in an area battered by two deadly cyclones in 2019, response teams and aid agencies said.