Mozambique is now recovering from Tropical Cyclone Eloise which hit the country on Saturday, the 23rd of January with wind speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph) affecting nearly 176,500 people, displacing more than 8,300 people and leaving 6 dead according to initial government data. Beira the port city, and largest city in Sofala Province, received 250 mm (10 inches) of rain in 24 hours, according to Mozambique’s National Institute of Meteorology (INAM).
In the wake of Eloise 136,755 hectares (33,7928 acres) of crops have been destroyed along with nine schools, while 17 other schools and 11 hospitals have been damaged according to Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD). Additionally, Eloise has entirely destroyed 1,069 houses, partially destroyed 3,343 and flooded another 1,500, the agency added, mainly in Sofala Province. 160 classrooms and at least 26 health centres will need repairs moving forward.
Government and humanitarian partners are working to assess the damage and respond accordingly to the most severely hit areas by the storm. In response to the mass damages to homes and infrastructure, thirty-two accommodation centres have been established in Sofala Province: Beira (14 centres, 9,437 individuals), Nhamatanda (5 centres, 1,885 individuals), Buzi (10 centres, 3,344 individuals), and Machanga (3 centres, 854 individuals), according to INGD while nine accommodation centres activated in Dondo and Muasa districts have been deactivated by INGD. It is important to note that while the severity of Cyclone Eloise was downgraded to a tropical storm as it headed onward towards Zimbabwe and eSwatini, Mozambique is still recovering from two very strong cyclones, Idai and Kenneth, which both hit in 2019, killing hundreds and leaving thousands displaced.