Posted on 09 March 2023
Almost 400,000 people in Madagascar and Mozambique have been impacted by Cyclone Freddy which caused severe weather conditions and flooding in the nations over the last few weeks. 21 people have died, and thousands of buildings – including hospitals and schools – are destroyed.
Cyclone Freddy has broken the record for having the highest accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of any southern hemisphere storm, and is looking to be the world’s longest lasting tropical cyclone. The storm is also predicted to circle back to Mozambique in the coming days, and may make landfall as a tropical cyclone.
Mozambique is already facing a humanitarian crisis with 1 million people internally displaced. There is now also a significant concern of chlorea and malaria spread due to the flooding.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the two countries and in Madagascar alone 148,000 people are thought to require immediate humanitarian assistance. WHO and UNICEF are both funding basic necessities for those affected in Madagascar, and OCHA is allocating $100,000 to the UN Humanitarian Air Service to reach vulnerable communities.