Cyclone Jude leaves 14 dead, thousands of families displaced in Mozambique

Maputo: The passage of Tropical Cyclone Jude through northern Mozambique has claimed 14 lives and affected over 100,000 residents across several provinces, according to a preliminary report released by the Mozambican government.

Government spokesperson Inocencio Impissa presented the report at a press conference in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, saying that the fatalities were recorded mainly in the provinces of Nampula and Niassa, resulting from collapsing walls, lightning strikes, and drowning.

He said the cyclone caused damage to about 20,000 houses, with over 7,000 completely destroyed and more than 13,000 partially damaged, leaving thousands of families displaced.

In the health sector, 30 health facilities were damaged, while in education, 182 classrooms in 59 schools were destroyed, affecting 17,402 students and 264 teachers, Xinhua news agency reported.

Road infrastructure also suffered significant damage, with the destruction of six access roads, particularly in Nampula province, the spokesperson noted.

Moreover, 19 electricity poles were knocked down, two water supply systems were battered, and 1,262 hectares of crops were affected.

“The impact is severe across multiple sectors, and we are mobilising all necessary resources to support the affected communities,” Impissa said, noting that the government has activated nine accommodation centers, currently sheltering over 100,000 people in Nampula province.

The Mozambican government has intensified efforts to assist affected populations. Support teams have been deployed to the affected provinces, and emergency operational centers have been reactivated in various districts, said the spokesperson.

“Measures include the dissemination of information, preventive evacuations, distribution of shelter materials and food, as well as increased awareness campaigns through community radio stations,” said Impissa.

The government also reported that emergency food supplies and other essential goods have been allocated to support vulnerable communities, along with mobile brigades to disseminate information and weather alerts.

In Malawi, international aid agencies and the government were able to start relief operations in accessible areas. For example, the World Food Programme on Thursday distributed some relief items to affected people in Mulanje district.

–IANS