Around midnight on 14 March 2019, Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall near Beira City in Mozambique. Between 700 to 1,000 people are feared to have died in the initial storm in Mozambique and neighbouring Zimbabwe. The storm winds of 177 km/h caused large-scale destruction of assets and infrastructure with some estimates suggesting that 90% of Beira, a city of half a million people, destroyed. Since the storm hit a vast area of over 3,000 kilometres was submerged underwater as floodwaters rose. Many crops and livestock were destroyed. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, many having to flee with nothing as the waters rose rapidly. There is now mounting fears that cholera and other diseases could break out in the squalid conditions in which tens of thousands are living in. Overall, it is estimated that 1.85 million people are now in need of urgent assistance. Many of us at hera have lived and worked in Mozambique and have friends and loved ones there. We are deeply distraught by the current situation and urge anyone that can to support the current humanitarian relief efforts.
Here is the link to The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appeal for help.
Photo: Cyclone Idai, Mozambique, aftermath, 15-16 March 2019 (Denis Onyodi: IFRC/DRK/Climate Centre)
