Known death toll from cyclone rises to six

Maputo, 13 Mar (AIM) – The known death toll from tropical cyclone Jude in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula has risen to six, and at least another 20 people were injured.

Luísa Meque, chairperson of the country’s relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD), also announced on Wednesday that at least 1,863 families were affected by Jude and 908 houses were completely destroyed.

“From the preliminary survey carried out, we have six deaths, one in Larde district, another in Meconta district and four in Nacala Port. These are the deaths confirmed by the health authorities. There are twenty injured. This is preliminary data and the teams are still working on the ground. This information will be updated and may change in the next few hours”, she said.

The death toll looks small – but that may be because the storm has made much of rural Nampula inaccessible.

According to Meque, who was speaking during a session of the Emergency Operations Centre (COE), in Nampula city, humanitarian assistance for the communities and households affected by Jude, is raising concerns due to the condition of the roads.

“The rain that accompanied ‘Jude’ caused many access routes to be cut and rivers to burst their banks, flooding various regions”, she said. “This is a major challenge, therefore we call on the people who are besieged by the rising waters to avoid crossing the rivers. It’s important that they don’t cross without safety, because that could endanger their lives”.

“The frequent occurrence of cyclones in this part of the country, going beyond the meteorological forecasts, is a factor that increases the pressure on the government to provide humanitarian assistance to households, a reality that must be lived with”, she said.

The country’s main north-south highway (EN1) has been cut near the Anchilo administrative post, just 15 kilometers from the city of Nampula, as a result of the passage of Jude. This makes it impossible to reach Nampula city from the rest of northern Mozambique.

This is a matter of life and death for some patients in Cabo Delgado provincial hospital, in the city of Pemba. The nearest place where the life-saving medical aid these patients need is available is Nampula central hospital, which can only be reached from Pemba when the break in EN1 is repaired.

Other roads across Nampula are also cut by flood waters. A bridge over the Meluli river has been damaged, interrupting traffic between Mogovolas and Moma districts.

A bridge over the Mpuipui river has been swept away cutting the link between Ribaue and Lalaua districts.

On National Highway 13 (N13), a road over the Namutimbua river is under water, making traffic between Nampula city and Cuamba impossible.

The storm system has changed direction and is now heading across Zambezia province towards the Mozambique Channel. The Zambezia maritime authorities have ordered all fishermen not to take their boats to sea.

The storm is forecast to cross the Channel and hit southern Madagascar on Friday evening.
(AIM)
Pf/ (494)