Houses and public buildings damaged by Hurricane Filipo in southern Mozambique

Severe tropical storm Filipo hit the town of Vilanculo in southern Mozambique this morning, affecting hundreds of homes and public buildings and rendering several roads impassable, local mayor Joaquim Quinito Vilanculos told Lusa.

“We can talk about hundreds of damaged houses that were left without roofs, because it is there, in the microdistricts, that the situation is more complicated. We are conducting an inspection, but we also had several public buildings damaged,” he said. President of the Municipal Council of Vilankulo, Inhambane Province.

As an example of the destruction caused by the hurricane, heavy rain and wind that began on Monday morning, the mayor cites the case of the municipal stadium, which was left without a roof and with partially destroyed stands.

“It was the only stadium we had. But the district headquarters of the Prosecutor General’s Office was left without a roof, as well as other buildings. We are still on the ground, not to mention the roads, for example, the bypass road, which is impassable,” he said. Also Joaquim Quinito Vilanculos.

“We need support,” he stressed, saying that the bad weather had subsided early on Tuesday morning.

Mozambican authorities estimate that as many as 525,000 people could be affected by Severe Tropical Storm Filipo, which is hitting central and southern Mozambique with strong winds and rain.

“An estimated 525,000 people, 856 schools and 145 health facilities are affected. [pela tempestade]”said National Institute for Disaster Management and Reduction (INGD) spokesman Paulo Thomas during a joint press conference late Monday afternoon with the National Institute of Meteorology and the Water Directorate in Maputo.

Severe tropical storm Filipo is expected to hit the Sofala provinces in central Mozambique, Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo in the south of the country by Wednesday, with wind speeds of 90 to 120 kilometers per hour.

“When it reaches the continent, this intensity will decrease and it will turn into a tropical depression, causing heavy rainfall in these regions,” said Manuel Francisco from the National Institute of Meteorology (Inam) of Mozambique, adding that the storm will hit the south of the country with greater force.

Mozambican authorities also warned of flooding and urban flooding that could affect road traffic, mainly in the interior of Gaza and Inhambane provinces.

“There is also a high risk of flooding in some agricultural fields, especially in the lower reaches of the Inkomati and Limpopo, and therefore we want to sensitize farmers to remove their equipment from the river banks,” the river basin manager said. Department of National Water Management (DNGRH), Agostinho Vilanculos.

INGD, Inam and DNGRH called for precautionary measures in the face of bad weather, noting that search and rescue assets and teams, emergency “kits” have already been deployed, and safe places for temporary deployment have been identified and prepared. for the victims.

At least 115 people have been killed and a further 55,494 affected by bad weather in Mozambique since the start of the 2023/2024 rainy and cyclone season in October.

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

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