Children stand in the middle of a road in the city of Pemba, in northern Mozambique, after it was devastated by Cyclone Chido.
Winds of 260 kilometers per hour affected 35 thousand families.” Much of the population of Cabo Delgado [a província mais afetada, seguida de Nampula e Niassa] lost their homes.”
O tropical cyclone Chido killed 45 people e affected 181 thousand in the provinces of Cape Delgado, Niassa e Nampulanorthern Mozambique, according to a new report from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) released this Wednesday.
The highest number of deaths occurred in Cabo Delgado, the province where the cyclone entered on Sunday, with 38 deaths, followed by Nampula, with four, and Niassa, with three. The bishop of Pemba, Juliasse Sandramo, today described to Lusa the result of the cyclone in the province of Cabo Delgado as devastating.
“Devastating. The district of Mechufifrom Chiúre, was devastated. Practically 80% of the population’s homes were damaged. 80% is not enough, it should be more. Conventional houses were also left without roofs, the walls remained, but the ceilings flew off or part of the ceiling flew off. And those others who were left with nothing. So, it is devastating”, he assumed.
First drone footage emerging from Mecufi district, in , shows the damage done by the strong winds from to people’s homes and other infrastructure. is on the ground, responding, but additional support is urgently needed.
— UNICEF Mozambique (@UNICEF_Moz)
According to the preliminary report by the Mozambican authorities, with data up to 6pm on Tuesday, at least 493 people were injured, one is missing and a total of 35,689 families were affectedcorresponding to 181,554 people.
The passage of Cyclone Chido also caused total and partial destruction of 36,207 homesalso affecting 48 hospital units, 13 houses of worship, 186 power poles, nine water systems and 171 vessels.
The INGD also indicates that 149 schools, 15,429 students and 224 teachers were affected by the bad weather.
Saidia, from the youth and adolescent platform in the province of Cabo Delgado, shows first-hand the impact of in her community.
— UNICEF Mozambique (@UNICEF_Moz)
The tropical cyclone, which formed on December 5 in the southwest of the Indian Ocean, entered the district of Mecúfi, in the province of Cabo Delgado, on Sunday, with winds that reached around 260 kilometers per hour and heavy rains.
The Mozambican Government announced that it sent multisectoral teams to the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, to provide assistance to the populations affected by the cyclone, which left Mozambican territory on Tuesday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recognized that Chido worsened the needs of populations in northern Mozambique displaced by terrorism, with 190 thousand people in need of “urgent support”.
“Many lost their homes” in Cabo Delgado
Also according to Bishop Juliasse Sandramo, the districts of Cabo Delgado affected by Cyclone Chido “are in a difficult situation”, although some organizations, including the Catholic Church, are on the ground trying to help, but he warned that the need for help will continue if , namely in the supply of tarpaulins to restore the roofs of precarious houses, when it is in the middle of the rainy season.
“A large part of the population lost their homesthose of simple construction, local material. They can get stakes and the rest, but it will be very difficult to get the grass to make the cover on those days. The grass will only appear and be in good condition from June or July of next year and the rainy season approaches. It is very important that each family at least has a tarpaulin, they can build a house and cover it when it rains”, he pointed out, describing that this urgency is “very great”.
The bishop also refers to other effects of the cyclone, such as agriculture.
“We are in the sowing period. Some families that had their seeds saved were also damaged by the rains. Now it is necessary to replace it so that they can sow the seed back into the ground. This is important, then comes the rest like food, replacement of infrastructure, like in health, so that people can be taken care of again. Many people were injured and certain diseases will also emerge in the coming days”, he also highlighted, also recognizing that several schools are unable to resume classes in February.
“We are all trying to launch SOS to see what we can achieve in favor of these suffering people, on the one hand due to the war and now due to this natural catastrophe”, he lamented, although pointing out that the population and local organizations were more prepared after the lessons from previous cyclones that affected the province of Cabo Delgado.
Previously, the passage of the tropical cyclone affected the French islands of Mayotte.
