Thousands Left Homeless After Tropical Cyclone Eloise Hits Mozambique

Mozambique has been hit by Cyclone Eloise which made landfall this past Saturday. The cyclone has since caused immense flooding and infrastructure damage. Close to 7000 people in the coastal province of Mozambique have reportedly been displaced after more than 5000 houses were destroyed. Furthermore, over 100 000 hectares of viable crops have been destroyed along with 9 schools and 11 hospitals.

Read: Cyclone Kenneth Has Made Landfall: It is the strongest storm to ever hit Mozambique

The UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the most severely affected areas are mainly in Buzi, Dondo, Nhamatanda and Beira City. Reaching those displaced has been made difficult because of the destruction to highways and electrical powerlines, as reported by Al Jazeera. The devastation caused by Cyclone Eloise has resulted in the urgent need for essential supplies like food, water, blankets and shelter which ActionAid Mozambique is reportedly sourcing.

Cyclone Eloise landed in Mozambique a couple of hours past midnight and downgraded to a tropical storm as it travelled across to South Africa in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal. The heavy rains are set to continue for a few days causing concern for Africa's major electricity provider, Eskom, which has power stations in Mpumalanga and Mozambique. According to IOL, Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said there was “no negative impact and that the power station lines had been reinforced a few years ago.”

Sadly, four deaths have been recorded, this is according to the BBC. A couple of years ago, Mozambique was hit by Cyclones Kenneth and Idai in the space of a month. The devastating category-four cyclone resulted in the evacuation of 30 000 people.