Cyclone Kenneth wreaks havoc in Mozambique

Cylone Kenneth made landfall in Mozambique in the northern province Cabo Delgado (about 100km north of Pemba) with wind speeds of up to 200kph on Thursday, 25 April. One woman has been killed by a falling tree in Pemba and four ships sank off the coast of Palma, but fortunately all who were on board survived, according to a report by Associated Press.

Roughly 90% of homes, most of them made of mud, have been destroyed on Ibo Island, said a report from Associacao Amigos de Pemba, a local group in the area.

According to the Red Cross teams in Mozambique, serious damage has occurred ‘in towns and communities that bore the brunt of Cyclone Kenneth overnight’.

The storm is expected to bring torrential rains over the coming days, which will worsen the situation. Accuweather’s Senior Meteorologist, Kristina Pydynowski, has forecast that up to 600 mm of rainfall can be expected. ‘A flooding disaster can unfold in Cabo Delgado where Kenneth slammed onshore. Additional downpours into this weekend can push the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ to 600 mm,’ she said.

This would be nearly double the amount that fell over 10 days in the region of Beira last month when Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique further south.

U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said in a statement, ‘Cyclone Kenneth may require a major new humanitarian operation’ as the aid for the survivors of Idai alone is expected to continue for months to come.

Featured image: Getty/ World Food Programme