Mozambique: Storm Filipo cuts power to almost 100,000 people

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Mozambique: Storm Filipo cuts power to almost 100,000 people

6:47 CAT | 12 Mar 2024

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

Almost 100,000 people have been without electricity since this morning in Mozambique due to the severe tropical storm “Filipo” affecting the country, Eletricidade de Moçambique (EDM) announced on Tuesday.

“[The storm] is causing damage to the grid in the affected regions, with reports of fallen pylons, flooded equipment and broken electricity cables,” EDM said in a statement sent to the media.

In the southern region of Mozambique, in Inhambane province, at least 83,000 people in the districts of Mabote, Morrumbene, Mapinhane, Massinga, the town of Jangamo, Ligogo and the cities of Vilanculos and Inhambane are without power.

In the centre, EDM estimates that 11,500 people are without power in Tambara, Chiramba, Savane and Muanza, the Beira neighbourhoods of Cerâmica, Tâmara, Inhamizua, Matadouro, Munhava, Matope, Ngangau, Six Miles, Ndunda and Zona Industrial.

In the north, the storm cut electricity supply to 4,256 customers in the Eráti district, in Nampula province, the EDM document added.

98.756 clientes da estatal Electricidade de #Moçambique estavam até as 13h de hoje sem energia, na sequência passagem da tempestade severa #Filipo, cujos impactos incluem queda de postes, alagamento de equipamentos e rompimento de cabos eléctricos. #Mozambique pic.twitter.com/1vmNmzFmc4

— Alexandre Nhampossa (@AllexandreMZ) March 12, 2024

Eletricidade de Moçambique said that technical teams are on the ground gradually restoring the system. However, it noted that atmospheric conditions and the difficulty of access to some regions “have been the biggest obstacles and are contributing to the delay in restoring the electricity supply.

EDM is urging people to take preventative and safety measures in the face of the storm, including avoiding contact with any electrical equipment, using power tools outdoors, in damp conditions, barefoot or with a wet body, and switching off the main switchboard and all household appliances.

“For the inconvenience that this situation is causing its valued customers, Eletricidade de Moçambique E.P. sincerely apologises and appeals for everyone’s understanding,” the statement added.

Mozambique’s National Meteorological Institute (INAM) confirmed that the severe tropical storm “Filipo” entered the continent at 05:00 (03:00 in Lisbon) this morning, through the district of Inhassoro, Inhambane province, heading south-west, namely Maputo.

“Over the next 24 hours, the system will continue to move progressively in a south-westerly direction with very heavy rainfall, maximum winds of 90 km/h and gusts of up to 120 km/h,” said an INAM warning.

Mozambican authorities estimate that around 525,000 people could be affected by the severe tropical storm “Filipo,” which is expected to hit the provinces of Sofala, in the centre of Mozambique, Inhambane, Gaza, and Maputo, in the south of the country, by Wednesday.

Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.

Source: Lusa