Cyclone Chido kills 94 in Mozambique

Cyclone Chido has killed 94 people since it made landfall in Mozambique. in the East African country last week, local officials have said.

The country’s National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management (INGD) said the natural disaster injured 768 people and affected more than 622,000 people in some capacity.

Chido struck Mozambique on 15 December with winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and 250 mm of rainfall in the first 24 hours.

The cyclone first struck the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte before moving towards Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

In Mozambique, the storm affected northern provinces that are regularly affected by cyclones. It first reached Cabo Delgado, then further inland to Niassa and Nampula.

The country’s INGD said the cyclone has affected the education and health sectors. Over 109,793 students were affected, with school infrastructure severely damaged.

INGD said some 52 sanitation units were damaged, further threatening access to essential health services. This became worse in areas where access to health facilities was already limited before the cyclone.

Daniel Chapo, leader of Mozambique’s ruling party, told local media that the government was mobilizing support at “all levels” in response to the cyclone.

Speaking on Sunday during a visit to Cabo Delgado, one of the worst-affected areas, Chapo said the government was working closely with INGD to ensure that affected people in the provinces of Mekufi, Nampula, Memba and Niassa People can rebuild.

In Mayotte, Chido was the worst typhoon to hit the archipelago in 90 years, leaving thousands of people devastated.

The Interior Ministry has confirmed 35 deaths in its latest update.

The prefect of Mayotte previously told local media that the death toll could rise significantly once the damage is fully assessed, warning that it would be “certainly several hundred” and could reach thousands.

More than 1,300 officers were deployed to support the local population.

A week on, many residents still lack basic necessities, while running water is slowly returning to the region’s capital. The ministry has advised people to boil water for three minutes before drinking it.

About 100 tons of equipment are being delivered every day, the ministry said, as an air bridge was built between Mayotte, Reunion, and mainland France.

In a statement on Friday, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said 80 tons of food and 50 tons of water had been distributed in Mayotte that day.

Tropical cyclones are characterized by very high wind speeds, heavy rainfall and storm surges, leading to short-term rise in sea levels. This often causes widespread damage and flooding.

The cyclone, INGD said, “once again highlights the sensitivity of social infrastructure to climate change and the need for flexible planning to mitigate future impacts”.

Assessing the exact impact of climate change on individual tropical cyclones can be challenging due to the complexity of these storm systems. But rising temperatures affect these storms in measurable ways.

The UN climate body, IPCC, had earlier said There is “high confidence” that humans have contributed to an increase in rainfall associated with tropical cyclones, and “moderate confidence” that humans have contributed to a higher likelihood of tropical cyclones becoming more intense.