Brutal Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique: President hints that 1,000 people may have perished
Chika Mori and Sawako Uchida
Modern Tokyo Times
According to President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique, the brutal Cyclone Idai may have killed at least 1,000 people. Sadly, despite the landfall hitting in the vicinity of Beira, a port city, on Thursday, it is known that aid workers didn’t reach the scene until Sunday. Hence, vast numbers of people were out of reach after winds of 177 km/h hit this area.
It is known that approximately 180 people have perished because of the ferocity of the cyclone in different parts of Southern Africa. On top of this, at least 122 people have perished in Malawi based on heavy flooding prior to the landfall of Cyclone Idai. Therefore, while the numbers of deaths are lower in nations including Malawi and Zimbabwe, the situation is still bleak for areas hit.
The BBC reports, “On a visit to Beira, President Nyusi said that its impact had been devastating, adding that he had seen bodies floating in the floodwater.”
The Environment Minister of Mozambique, Celso Correia, uttered, “I think this is the biggest natural disaster Mozambique has ever faced. Everything is destroyed… Our priority now is to save human lives.”
Of course, the focus is currently on saving people and helping the injured, while trying to restore order to areas that have been extremely devastated. However, like The Guardian reports, “The cyclone will have far-reaching consequences beyond the flooding. Farmers in the region were about to harvest their maize crop when Idai hit, and many of their fields have been ruined, meaning widespread hunger in at least the year ahead.”
Hence, it is essential that Mozambique is given important international economic assistance and other areas of support. Likewise, Malawi and Zimbabwe need international assistance. This applies to the immediate problems that beset areas hit by the brutal Cyclone Idai and future issues related to the infrastructure and farms being blighted by crop failure.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47609676
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