Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) on Thursday warned of the formation of a low-pressure system east of Madagascar with the potential to develop into a tropical cyclone, one week after Cyclone Gezani struck Inhambane.
In a notice on the monitoring of tropical cyclones, INAM states that the system formed yesterday and has already evolved into the tropical depression stage, with the potential to intensify into a tropical cyclone.
However, INAM’s statement points out that the system does not yet pose a threat to the Mozambique Channel or the country’s coast, adding that it continues to monitor its evolution.
The total number of deaths during the current rainy season in Mozambique has risen to 228, with more than 863,000 people affected since October, according to an update released today by the National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD).
According to information from the INGD database, accessed by Lusa and updated at 08:57 on Thursday, 863,022 people have been affected in the current rainy season, corresponding to 199,493 families.
January floods alone caused at least 27 deaths — affecting 724,131 people — while Cyclone Gezani’s passage through Inhambane on 13 and 14 February resulted in four additional deaths. A further 59 deaths were recorded in previous days during the cyclone’s passage through Madagascar, according to updated INGD data on the rainy season.
INGD also reports that a total of 14,815 houses were partially destroyed, 5,906 completely destroyed and 183,812 flooded during the current rainy season. In addition, 272 health units and 677 schools have been affected.
