A powerful storm – Cyclone Kenneth – made landfall in northern Mozambique on Thursday evening, tens of thousands have been evacuated.
Barely a month after a super-storm, Cyclone Idai, slammed into the country’s centre, leaving hundreds dead and causing devastation, Cyclone Kenneth has hit the country’s northern region.
The cyclone has brought 220km/h winds and has already claimed the lives of three people on the island nation of Comoros.
According to the BBC, Mozambique’s National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) said 30,000 people had been evacuated from areas likely to be hit.
“The compulsory evacuation process will continue until we have all people on secure ground,” said Paulo Tomas, a spokesperson for the INGC.
Surpassing the strength (in terms of wind speeds) of both Idai and a 2000 cyclone that had been the strongest to date, Cyclone Kenneth has broken records as it pelted Cabo Delgado province, bringing the threat of extreme rainfall.
“Cyclone Kenneth is currently making landfall on the north coast of Mozambique,” the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement.
“The Cyclone is expected to bring heavy rains in the area for several days, with over 600 millimetres rainfall expected.”
That volume of rain would be nearly double the 10-days accumulated rainfall that caused flooding in Beira during Cyclone Idai.
Forecasters warn it is likely to be slow-moving, meaning heavy rain is expected to fall on the area for several days.
The UN’s World Food Programme said it was working on an “emergency preparedness plan” with the Mozambican government and other humanitarian groups.
