Five dead and 70 houses destroyed due to rain in Mozambique’s Nampula province

At least five people have died and more than 70 houses have been destroyed in the current rainy season in the province of Nampula, one of the hardest hit so far in Mozambique, according to a report published this Monday by the authorities.

“By that time, I can say that 71 houses were completely destroyed. We count five dead by that time. Four due to electrical discharges, one due to dragging,” a delegate from the National Institute said in a statement to reporters. on Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) in Nampula, Anacleta Botan.

The incidents were caused by rain and strong winds, the official said.

Anacleta Botao added that to minimize the impact, 191 disaster management committees have been established and INGD resources have been “pre-positioned” on the ground to cope with the monsoon season, which also precedes the onset of the cyclone season.

INGD President Louise Mecke warned last November that natural disasters threatened 1.2 million people in the country and the institution faced a funding gap of 143 million euros.

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in late September urged people and actors to prepare for the predictable effects of an El Niño event in the country in the coming months, predicting above-normal rainfall and outbreaks of drought.

“History repeats itself. Therefore, we must create conditions for sustainability. In this sense, the government will issue regular warnings to keep the population informed and prepared for weather conditions that may be unfavorable to life, production or infrastructure,” the minister said. head of state.

Filipe Nyusi warned that forecasts indicate that the country will once again “experience the El Niño phenomenon”, which “could bring normal rains with a tendency to be above normal in the center and north of the country, as well as normal rains with a tendency to be below normal. which may lead to some drought outbreaks in the southern region.”

“This requires us all to be careful and ready to confront this challenge caused by climate change. Let’s get organized. I urge you to conserve and conserve water for consumption and for our livestock,” he further warned.

“This is the appeal I make to the entire country. Therefore, let us be careful and follow those directions to mitigate the impact, avoid or minimize damage and losses, including human lives, on the one hand, on the other, which we exercise adequate management and responsibility for water, especially during periods of water shortage.” , he added in the same message.

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

The 2018/2019 rainy season was one of the harshest in Mozambique’s history, with 714 people killed, including 648 victims of Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the largest to ever hit the country.

According to official government data, in the first quarter of last year, heavy rains and the passage of Cyclone Freddy caused the death of 306 people, affected more than 1.3 million people in the country, and destroyed 236 thousand houses and 3,200 classrooms.