Cyclone Chalane Likely to Affect 1.2 Million Mozambicans

Maputo — At least 1.2 million people in the central Mozambican provinces of Sofala and Manica are likely to be affected by tropical cyclone Chalane, which since the early hours of Wednesday has been battering the city of Beira, causing strong winds and heavy downpours.

Initial estimates are that the storm could also affect 1,500 schools, 220 health units and several of the major roads in Sofala.

The prospective figure of affected people was presented on Tuesday at an extraordinary session of the government's Disaster Management Coordinating Council (CCGC), held in Maputo to assess the levels of preparedness.

Briefing the participants at the meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, the deputy director of the National Meteorological Institute (INAM), Mussa Mustafa, said that, when the cyclone made landfall, winds of 65 knots (104 kilometres an hour) were recorded.

So far no casualties have been reported, but the storm has brought down power lines and trees in Beira, and flooded some of the city's roads.

Chalane, Mustafa said, is continuing to move into the neighbouring province of Manica. "The cyclone will leave the country in the early hours of Thursday, heading for Zimbabwe," he added.

Cyclones weaken over land, and Chalane is already dissipating. But Musafa said INAM will keep on monitoring the storm until Chalane has faded completely.

The head of the country's relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC), Luisa Meque, told the meeting that rescue and lifesaving equipment had been prepositioned to ensure an immediate response, should there be any need for intervention. She also guaranteed that the INGC has sufficient food rations for a good humanitarian response.

Meque said it was too early to put a figure on the costs of responding to the cyclone, since the scenarios have been changing. An overall picture will be given after Chalane has dissipated.

This article originally appeared on AIM

Photo: lexpress.mu