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The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, yesterday urged Mozambicans to be on maximum alert and take all possible precautionary measures in face of the arrival of Cyclone Gombe, which will affect the northern part of the country at a level which could be comparable with Cyclone Idai.
ITC #Gombe completing landfall from 0030Z 2:30am to Mogincual District, Cat 3 Hurricane strength 185kph & Oz scale Cat 4 166kph, to 400mm rainfall accum to Nampula Province, to 10m coastal waves & to 2m coastal surge S of centre pic.twitter.com/Tv6knv8pd7
— #TropicalcyclonesWorldwide (@Tropicalcyclon8) March 11, 2022
Filipe Nyusi, yesterday urged the population to observe precautionary measures and remain in safe places.
“We urge everyone to observe the precautionary measures issued by institutions such as the INGD (National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction), which will be communicated through our media,” the president said.
Nyusi particularly urged against unnecessary dramatisation of the subject and the propagation of rumours on social networks, which could cause panic.
The president urged citizens not to shelter under the trees, and to protect their windows, reinforce ceilings, roofs and doors, and remove all loose material from the interior, especially covering sheets.
“Protect the windows, doors and roofs of the houses, as we saw in Beira when they were preparing to face Tropical Storm Ana. It is also important to have emergency kits that include drinking water, and to protect documents very well. Please refrain from sending children to schools from today {Thursday], especially in Nampula, Zambézia and Sofala provinces, until the situation normalises,” President Nyusi added.
The Head of State stressed the need for the protection of the elderly and children, assuring that the INGD is already on the ground to follow up to avoid, at most, the loss of human lives.
He stressed the need to protect the elderly and children, promising that the INGD was in place to follow up and avoid the loss of human lives.
“Please avoid using your cell phones when the phenomenon arrives, as your cell phone may be the cause of an electrical discharge that cause death, and keep the power sources off,” the President urged.
He warned that Tropical Cyclone Gombe, with winds between 180 and 200 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 240 kilometres per hour, could be as strong as Cyclone Idai, which hit the centre of the country in March, 2019.
Nyusi was speaking in the city of Dondo, Sofala, at the opening of the new University of Lúrio (UniLúrio) campus.
The President said that the weather forecasts indicate that the cyclone, after entering Mozambique through Nampula, would mainly affect the province of Nampula and neighbouring Zambézia province. Strong winds and rain are forecast, with more than 200 millimetres of precipitation in 24 hours for three consecutive days, that is, until Monday, March 14th.
After entering the mainland, the system may swing round and leave the Mozambique Channel again on Sunday, moving southwards.
Citing the disaster management technical group, Nyusi estimated that the cyclone would present a moderate and high risk of impact on more than 580,000 people in Nampula and Zambézia provinces.
He recalled that, in addition to the effects of Idai in Sofala and Manica, central Mozambique, Nampula and Zambézia provinces are still suffering from the storm Ana. Cyclone Gombe could affect around 750 health units, 15 sections of roads and 107 bridges.
The Head of State said that government technicians and leaders had already travelled to the areas likely to be affected to monitor the situation, and that the scenario was expected to return to normal from Monday or Tuesday.
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