MOZAMBIQUE: Last year in December, Cyclone Chalane had hit areas of Beira, the port city of Mozambique which had affected the lives of many people. Now, the country is hit by another cyclone named, Cyclone Eloise on Saturday. According to the reports, Eloise has affected around 250,000 people of Beira and the surrounding areas.
Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Management and Reduction reported that more than 1,000 houses have been totally destroyed and another 3,000 have gone to rack and ruin. With wind speeds of up to 160km/h (100mph) striking Beira, parts of central Mozambique have also been flooded. The areas affected by the cyclone are mostly farmlands and it is believed that there has been some significant amount of crop damage.
The effect of Cyclone Eloise on Beira
In a statement, Chris Neeson, who works for the United Nations in Beira said, “Electricity has been down from last night and we’ve been unable to make calls.” Excessive storms and rains blew away trees, fences, roofs, and advertising hoardings.
Beira, Mozambique’s second city houses around 500,000 people. The citizens are now trying to cope with the situation. Meanwhile, the officials and relief agencies are trying to assess the situation to send help and restore power and communication.
Myrta Kaulard, the UN resident coordinator in the African country, told UN correspondents that tents, emergency shelter, blankets, drinkable water, hygiene products, sanitation, face masks, and food were the need of the hour.
She also said that schools need to be rebuilt as soon as possible, as students missed the last academic year on accounts of the pandemic and they were looking forward to classes resuming.
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“These are very poor people that have become even poorer because of the damage,” Kaulard added.
Weather reports predict that the cyclone is now heading towards Zimbabwe and northern South Africa.
Apart from Cyclone Chalane of December 2020, two years ago Cyclone Idai had killed hundreds of people and destroyed houses, flooding much of Beira. Mozambique is vulnerable to its climate and yearly cyclones seem to be just a breath away from the next one.
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