Sixteen people died in Mozambique and one in Madagascar after Cyclone Jude pivoted through the region last week, according to the latest European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) report. More than 130 people were injured while four were recorded missing as of March 18. ECHO estimates more than 10,500 people were displaced in Madagascar and almost 5,000 in Malawi. In all, at least 400,000 people were affected across the three hit African countries. Cyclone Jude first made landfall in northern Madagascar on March 8, displacing thousands who had to stay in temporary shelters, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. After gaining strength as it moved westward over the Mozambique Channel, the cyclone made landfall in Mozambique’s coastal district Mossuril in Nampula province on March 10, bringing maximum sustained winds of 140 kph (about 87 mph) and gusts of up to 195 kph (121 mph), weather reports show. It also brought exceptionally heavy downpours as it hovered over Nampula, with rainfall exceeding 250 millimeters (9.8 inches) in 24 hours, causing flooding in the coastal districts. Flights were canceled and delayed while 900 houses were destroyed in Mozambique, according to The Guardian. The World Food Programme also recorded the flooding of 49,593 hectares (122,547 acres) of cropland in Monapo, Nampula. Also in Nampula, a cholera outbreak was observed in Larde, OCHA wrote. A UNICEF spokesperson told Bloomberg that the river basins and dams in Nampula were already full, which made the flooding worse. The news…This article was originally published on Mongabay
The post 17 dead as Cyclone Jude wreaks havoc in East Africa first appeared on EnviroLink Network.
