Mozambique: Cyclone Gombe threatens 580,000 people in two provinces – Notícias

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Mozambique: Cyclone Gombe threatens 580,000 people in two provinces – Notícias

11:10 CAT | 10 Mar 2022

FILE PHOTO - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Noticias]

When tropical cyclone Gombe makes its expected landfall in Nampula and Zambézia this Thursday night or tomorrow Friday, 580,000 people, 7,104 schools and 679 health units could be affected, an extraordinary session of the Technical Council of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) meeting in Maputo yesterday declared.

#Gombe is now a tropical cyclone or a Cat 1 hurricane equivalent & can be a Cat 3 hurricane equivalent by the time it reaches N #Mozambique Thursday night or Friday. Flooding rain & destructive winds in the area later Thursday through Sunday. pic.twitter.com/f0Dog7XF9Y

— Jason Nicholls (@jnmet) March 10, 2022

The National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) on Wednesday warned of between 150 and 250 millimetres of rainfall in 24 hours [between 6.5 and 10.4 mm per hour], particularly in the districts of Angoche, Liúpo, Murrupula, Rapale, Mecubúri, Muecate, Nacaroa, Monapo, Mongicual, Mossuril, Nacala and Ilha de Moçambique in Nampula province, and in Pebane, Gilé, Mulevala, Mocvubela and Maganja da Costa in Zambézia.

The INAM also warns of moderate to high risk of urban flooding for the cities of Quelimane and Nacala-Porto, in addition to rain erosion for Mocuba, Guruè and Morrumbala.

“The epicentre of Tropical Storm Gombe was already over the Mozambique Channel yesterday, and it had the potential to evolve into a Moderate Tropical Cyclone, with winds of around 160 kilometres per hour, gusting up to 180 kilometres per hour,” INAM said yesterday.

Meanwhile, INGD president Luísa Meque said the institution had already mobilised 18 vessels, and seven mobile bridges had already been deployed during tropical depression Ana.

Meque also indicated that food and non-food items have been pre-positioned in strategic locations to ensure timely assistance.

“Many roads are restricted and impassable, so we are mobilising other equipment to guarantee assistance to people. We are sensitising communities to leave risk zones as a mitigation measure, to avoid fatalities,” she said.

Meque added that time was short, but that technicians would immediately start raising awareness and evacuating people from high-risk areas.

Source: Noticias