Local authorities in Mozambique are working with humanitarian organizations to assess the full extent of the damage caused by Cyclone Jude, which struck the country on Monday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that caused widespread destructions and forced many people to evacuate their homes.
In a statement released by World Vision Mozambique on Tuesday, efforts are currently focused on providing emergency shelter, food and medical care to those displaced. Efforts are also underway to restore damaged infrastructure and ensure the resumption of essential services.
"The cyclone's impact extended beyond residential areas, severely affecting critical infrastructure. Twenty-four health facilities suffered damages, hindering access to essential medical services," World Vision Mozambique said.
"The education sector also took a significant hit, with 27 schools damaged, disrupting the education of 2,266 students and the work of 158 teachers," they added.
The cyclone, which originated in the Southwest Indian Ocean Basin, rapidly intensified, bringing winds of up to 195 kilometers per hour and torrential rainfall exceeding 250 millimeters in 24 hours. Latest reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicate that at least one person was killed, another injured and 4,100 people affected, including 3,617 displaced in 9 temporary sites.
While addressing the humanitarian situation on Tuesday, Guy Taylor, Chief of Advocacy, Communication and Partnerships at UNICEF Mozambique said that this is the third cyclone affecting the region this season, and a large-scale response will be necessary to support the hundreds of thousands of people impacted.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Malawi, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services issued a severe warning on Monday, with the cyclone's impact starting to be felt by Wednesday.
The United Nations forecasts that over the next few days, Cyclone Jude is expected to weaken as it moves near the Mozambique-Malawi border, potentially intensifying again before hitting Madagascar between March 13 and 14.
The cyclone comes at a time when affected communities have yet to recover from earlier cyclones, and humanitarian response capacities in Madagascar and Malawi remain overstretched.
