The passage of tropical storm Freddy through Mozambique has left, so far, ten dead only in Zambezia province, central part of the country. The update was made this Monday evening, March 13, by the Operational Center for Emergency (COE), whose meeting was chaired by the Minister of Health, Armindo Tiago, who, in the middle of the afternoon, had reported eight deaths.
The organization indicated that there are at least 14 injured and four thousand families affected, corresponding to more than 22 thousand people, in the centers of Quelimane, Nicoadala, Namacurra and Mocuba.
As the president of the Municipal Council of Quelimane, Manuel Araújo, told Voz de América (VOA) earlier this afternoon, the devastation “is enormous,” and many people have been accommodated in schools, churches, and other places. Several neighborhoods are without power and telecommunications.
After the COE meeting, Armindo Tiago warned about the possible appearance of respiratory diseases in the accommodation centers due to the high demand, adding that nine doctors, “general surgeons and orthopedists”, coming from Maputo and Beira, are already in Quelimane to support the Central Hospital.
Jenna Buraczenski, public relations manager for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), sent VOA a note Monday afternoon noting that agency staff are “on the ground and fully focused on working with the government and partners to assess the impact and mobilize supplies and support for those most affected.”
“Restoring access to essential services, including health and nutrition, education, protection and water, sanitation and hygiene services, is a priority. Given the scale of the damage, and because Mozambique faces multiple crises, additional support is urgently needed,” the note concluded.
Cyclone Freddy also left a trail of further death and destruction in neighboring Malawi, where 99 people lost their lives, according to Department of Disaster Management Commissioner Charles Kalemba, In Blantyre, where 85 of the 99 deaths were reported, 134 people were seriously injured and about four thousand families were affected, equivalent to more than ten thousand people
