The Chinese Red Cross announced a US$50,000 (€46,200) donation to the Mozambique Red Cross to support rescue efforts after the passage of Cyclone Freddie.
The Chinese Red Cross said it had decided to “provide emergency humanitarian assistance in the form of cash” to its counterparts in Mozambique and Malawi, who would receive US$100,000 (€92,400).
A statement from the same institution added that it “will continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance in accordance with its capabilities”, highlighting the “heavy casualties and property damage” caused by Freddie.
The donation came on the same day that Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent messages of condolence to Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi following the loss of life in a tropical cyclone.
The death toll in Mozambique from the passage of Tropical Cyclone Freddie has risen to 165, the World Food Program said on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated on Thursday that Freddie killed 605 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar, and the death toll is expected to rise as 282 people are reported missing.
The balance was provided by WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti during an online press conference on the humanitarian situation caused by Cyclone Freddy.
Moeti added that the hurricane injured 1,400 people in three countries and destroyed more than 300 medical facilities, “overloading the capacity of health systems” in affected countries.
He added that schools, roads and other infrastructure were also destroyed or damaged by Freddie.
The WHO director for Africa noted that a large area of crops had been flooded, raising fears of famine in the affected communities.
In total, he continued, almost 1.4 million people were affected by the passage of the storm.
“We must increase humanitarian assistance to help the affected population cope with the emergency and recover,” he stressed.
Cyclone Freddy caused outbreaks of cholera in affected countries and increased cases of malaria and other preventable diseases, said Matshidiso Moeti.
The WHO, he continued, has already committed eight million dollars (7.3 million euros) to support the health of affected communities.
Freddy is already one of the longest lasting cyclones in decades, having traveled over 10,000 kilometers since it formed off northern Australia on February 4 and crossed the entire Indian Ocean into southern Africa.
The cyclone first hit the east coast of Madagascar on February 21 and returned to the island on March 5.
In Mozambique, the cyclone that first struck on February 24 made landfall two weeks ago.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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