Maputo, March 12 — Mozambique is experiencing heavy rain, powerful winds, and flooding as Cyclone Freddy makes landfall for the second time in a month. The country has been hit with more than a year’s worth of rainfall in the past four weeks alone. Experts warn that Freddy may become the longest-lasting storm on record, having formed 34 days ago to the northwest of Australia.
The cyclone made its second landfall near the eastern seaport of Quelimane at around 22:00 on Saturday. One person is reported to have died, bringing the death toll to at least 28 since the storm first made landfall.
More than half a million people could be at risk of a humanitarian crisis this time around, according to local disaster agencies. People have been urged to move into temporary shelters, including schools, churches, and warehouses.
Electricity has been turned off as a precaution, and all flights have been suspended. The cyclone is reported to have stalled offshore and is thought to be making its way onto land soon.
Experts warn that climate change is making tropical storms around the world wetter, windier, and more intense. Freddy had already broken records for the strength it had accumulated over the 8,000-km path it travelled across the Indian Ocean for northwestern Australia.
Mozambique’s national disaster management agency estimates that more than 1.5 million people have been affected since the storm first hit last month, with more than 8,000 forced from their homes. A humanitarian operation is underway in the region, but there are fears that aid efforts may be hampered by new heavy rains from Freddy’s return.
Neighboring Malawi, where health authorities are battling a cholera outbreak, is also set to be affected. Weather experts predict the cyclone will bring destructive winds and extreme rainfall over large areas, including northeast Zimbabwe as well as southeast Zambia. – Namibia Daily News
