Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican meteorological services warned today that a severe tropical storm was forming, forecasting that it would hit the centre and south of the country with gusts of up to 120 kilometers per hour (km/h) and very heavy rain.
Tropical Storm #Filipo can be seen below making its way towards #Mozambique, where it is predicted to make landfall soon.
“According to current projections, the system will continue to evolve and reach the stage of a severe tropical storm, affecting weather conditions with very heavy rains, maximum sustained wind of 85 km/h [50 mph]and gusts of up to 120 km/h [74.6 mph] (…) over the next 48 hours”, reads a statement by the Mozambican National Institute of Meteorology (INAM).
The red warning in force, decreed on Sunday, now applies to the provinces of Inhambane (south) and Sofala and Zambézia (centre).
In the case of Sofala, in the districts of Machanga, Chibabava and Buzi, the forecast points to rainfall equivalent to 200 mm/24h, thunderstorms, strong winds and gusts of up to 120 km/h.
“The tropical disturbance could evolve in the next few hours to the stage of a moderate tropical storm, approaching the coast of our country through the provinces of Sofala and Inhambane”, INAM warned in its forecast for the next few hours, before evolving into a severe tropical storm.
“In view of the occurrence of strong winds, thunderstorms and heavy rain, it is recommended to take precautionary and safety measures”, INAM warned.
At the end of September, the president of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, called for the population and organisations to be prepared for the foreseeable effects of the ‘El Nino’ phenomenon on the country in the coming months, with forecasts of above-normal rainfall and outbreaks of drought.
“History repeats itself, so we have to create conditions of resilience. In this regard, the government will issue regular warnings to keep the population informed and prepared for weather conditions that may not be favourable to life, production, or infrastructure,” said the head of state.
Filipe Nyusi warned that the forecasts indicate that the country would once again “experience the ‘El Nino’ phenomenon”, which “could bring normal rainfall with a tendency to be above normal in the centre and north of the country, and normal rainfall with a tendency to be below normal, which could lead to some outbreaks of drought in the south”.
“This requires us all to be cautious and prepared to face this challenge caused by climate change. Let’s get organised. I call on us to save and reserve water for consumption and our livestock,” he said.
“This is an appeal I’m making to the whole country. So let’s be vigilant and follow the guidelines to mitigate the impact, avoiding or minimising damage and loss, including human lives, on the one hand, and on the other, let’s manage water properly and responsibly, especially in times of scarcity,” he added in the same message.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
The 2018/2019 rainy season was one of the most severe on record in Mozambique: 714 people died, including 648 victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the biggest ever to hit the country.
In the first quarter of last year, heavy rains and Cyclone Freddy caused 306 deaths, affected more than 1.3 million people in the country, and destroyed 236,000 homes and 3,200 classrooms, according to official government figures.
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