Known death toll from cyclone stands at seven – AIM report

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Known death toll from cyclone stands at seven – AIM report

8:20 CAT | 20 Feb 2017

East Coast Radio

Seven people died and around 50 were injured when cyclone Dineo hit the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane on Wednesday evening.

The cyclone severely affected the provincial capital, Inhambane city, and the districts of Morrumbene, Massinga, Maxixe, Jangamo, Homoine, Inharrime, Zavala, Vilanculos and Inhassoro. Only the districts in the far north of the province were spared.

According to the provisional data issued on Thursday night by the National Emergency Operational Centre (CENOE), the cyclone destroyed about 20,000 houses built of flimsy materials. It also damaged 49 health units, 104 classrooms and 51 other public buildings.

Roads were blocked by fallen trees, and the storm cut off electricity and water supply to much of the province. Mobile phone communications were affected, since the cyclone brought down three cell phone masts. CENOE estimates that around 130,000 people in the province were affected by the cyclone.

Speaking to reporters, CENOE director Mauricio Xerinda said the main cause of the seven deaths was trees blown down on top of homes. “As you know, Inhambane has many trees, particularly many coconut palms”, he said. “Since the winds were very strong, trees were knocked down”.

In order to assist the households hit by the cyclone, Xerinda said the government is distributing food, tents and hygiene products.

Throughout Thursday, the cyclone moved westwards, across the Inhambane interior, and into Gaza province. But over land cyclones lose their strength, and so the damage done in Gaza was nowhere near as severe as in Inhambane. Nonetheless, parts of the province are without power, since the storm knocked sown seven pylons.

Rapidly dissipating, Dineo moved out of Mozambique, and was expected to track across northern South Africa, and into Botswana, before fizzling out in Namibia.

The storm brought heavy rain to Maputo on Thursday, but there were no cyclonic winds in the capital, and so damage was slight.

Source: AIM