Tropical storm Freddy kills nearly 300 in Mozambique, Malawi

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The World Meteorological Organization has called cyclone Freddy one of the strongest storms ever to date in the southern hemisphere and could prove to be the longest to last after landing in Mozambique and Malawi.

In Malawi alone, 190 have been killed as a result of the storm, per local authorities, adding that 584 are injured and 37 people are declared missing.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) country director Marion Pechayre told Reuters by telephone that most of the injuries were the result of flash floods, falling trees, and landslides, adding, "A lot of (houses) are mud houses with tin roofs, so the roofs fall on people's heads."

The International Space Station orbited above Cyclone #Freddy earlier today as it churned over the Indian Ocean. Earth is breathtaking. pic.twitter.com/KVMOJVsgAM

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) February 17, 2023

Police spokesperson in Blantyre, Peter Kalaya, confirmed that rescue teams were still working to locate people in the affected areas where rain was still heavy and power was still out. 

"Some missing people are feared buried in rubble," Kalaya said.

According to Malawi's national electricity company EGENCO, the capacity to generate power at the moment was unstable due to a total shutdown on Monday, and all hydropower stations were closed as well to protect them from further damage. 

Damage too massive to handle

More than 100 have been killed in Mozambique as Health Minister Armindo Tiago declared on public radio that the "situation is critical in Zambezia province. We can't advance with an accurate picture of the scale of damage because there's no communications with all the regions."

Unfortunately, humanitarian aid was incapable of dealing with the massive size of the damage. Guy Taylor, chief of advocacy, communications and partnerships for UNICEF in Mozambique, told Reuters:  "We saw a lot of destroyed buildings and clinics. People's homes had their roofs torn off by the wind. Even before the cyclone hit we saw localized flooding."

🔵 Tropical Cyclone Freddy near #Madagascar🇲🇬 21 February 2023 @NOAASatellites #SuomiNPP🛰️ #VIIRS Full-size ➡️ https://t.co/K2uQWGPIK9 #OpenData #SciComm #RemoteSensing #Freddy #CycloneFreddy Image is about 1,950 kilometers wide pic.twitter.com/OXsUaYX6PV

— Pierre Markuse (@Pierre_Markuse) February 21, 2023

The major flooding created the potential of waterborne diseases, he added. Mozambique has been experiencing rainfall for the past full year while Malawi has been tackling the most fatal cholera outbreak in its history.