Filipo aftermath in Vilankulo: 15 tourist resorts ‘completely destroyed’, 135 partially destroyed – Carta

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Filipo aftermath in Vilankulo: 15 tourist resorts ‘completely destroyed’, 135 partially destroyed – Carta

9:00 CAT | 15 Mar 2024

Photo: Portal Kelven / Facebook

Cyclone Filipo has wrought destruction of the social and economic fabric in the province of Inhambane in general, and in the district and city of Vilankulo in particular. President of Vilankulo Tourism Association Yassin Amuji told ‘Carta’ that 15 tourist resorts had been completely destroyed and 135 partially so.

According to Amuji, most of the tourist infrastructure damaged is located on the City of Vilankulo seafront, and businesses will need from three days to a week to get back on their feet. Those completely destroyed may take longer.

Amuji said that the storm was more devastating than cyclones Cheneso and Freddy, in January and February 2023, respectively, but not a bad as Cyclone Fávio, which devastated the centre and south of the country, including the city of Vilankulo, in 2007.

“This storm seriously affected tourist developments, because a considerable part of them are built using poles and thatch, not concrete. Hence, from now on, we will trigger a reflection on changing the type of construction. Looking at the location of the city and the fact that it is prone to cyclones, there is a need to change this type of construction to concrete which is relatively resilient to storms,” Amuji said.
Due to the fragility of buildings, operators are constantly rebuilding projects every time the city is devastated by storms, which harms the class’s business, he noted.

In the city of Vilankulo, Filipo also affected the main road that leads to tourist resorts located close to the seafront, with the road impassable until last Tuesday (12-03) afternoon.

According to the National Institute of Meteorology, Filipo made landfall at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday in Vilankulo district, leaving a trail of destruction. Figures provided by authorities indicate that the storm destroyed more than 500 houses, affecting more than 531,000 families in the provinces of Inhambane and Sofala.

Winds reached 120 km/h and destroyed more than 10 health centres and around 40 classrooms, toppling more than five dozen power poles and leaving part of the province of Inhambane and the district of Machanga in Sofala without electricity.

On Tuesday, only the city of Vilankulo and the town of Inhassoro had electricity from the public grid, while the cities of Inhambane and Maxixe were partially lit through use of an emergency generator.