The severe tropical storm “Filipo” caused damage to 5,091 houses in Maputo, affecting 28,255 people, according to the preliminary balance presented by the municipality of the Mozambican capital.
According to a source at Maputo Municipal Council, the torrential rains and strong winds that began to hit the capital on Tuesday night also affected at least 17 schools, several health centres and markets in three municipal districts.
To accommodate families affected by the floods caused by the storm, five accommodation centres were set up in Maputo, according to the municipality.
In the capital there was also one death as a result of the storm, in a road accident.
Storm Filipo hit southern Mozambique – as well as Maputo, the provinces of Inhambane and Gaza – for 48 hours, forcing at least 14,000 people to leave their homes.
The storm, which recorded wind gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour, caused damage to 29 schools, 19 health centres and 2,874 homes, according to an assessment made on Thursday by the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
Lusa
