ReliefWeb

Mozambique (May 2, 2019) – The second catastrophic cyclone to hit Mozambique in the last six weeks touched down on April 25, causing additional devastation to an already extremely vulnerable area. Cyclone Kenneth, the strongest storm on record to hit Mozambique, made landfall as a Category 4 storm and brought a deluge of rain and flooding with it. Over the next week, the cyclone is expected to bring twice as much rain as Cyclone Idai did in March.

So far, more than 160,000 people across Mozambique have been severely affected by the deadly Cyclone Kenneth. Officials are saying that the death toll is currently at 38, but is expected to rise. There are nine affected districts within Cabo Delgado Province and five in Nampula Province. According to the World Food Program (WFP), 168,254 people in Cabo Delgado and 900 people in Nampula are affected. At least 34,964 houses have been totally or partially destroyed and nearly 22,000 children are now unable to attend school because their classrooms have been demolished.

“Flooding continues and it could take a couple weeks for the water to start to go down, let alone get to normal levels,” said Food for the Hungry Relief and Humanitarian Affairs staff member Paul Wagner, who is now working in Mozambique.

This is the first time in recorded history that two tropical storms of this scale have hit the area in the same year. The Category 4 storm brought torrential rains, wind gusts, and destruction, flattening villages and damaging over 35,000 homes as floodwaters rise.

The full extent of Cyclone Kenneth’s damage is still not yet clear, as affected provinces remain without electricity, telephone and internet communication. They are expected to be without power for some time.

It will take significant effort to recover from this natural disaster, which has impacted the communities’ agriculture, livelihoods, and access to food, due to loss of crops and limited transportation access due to collapsed bridges and flooded roads.

“Children are looking for something to eat. The situation is unbearable in that area, my brothers,” reported FH staff member Samuel Tinho, who is coordinating water and sanitation efforts in the area. “The biggest problem is how to get the products. Roads cut and impassable. Difficulties by sea and by air. Even if you get products, you need tents before storing them. There is no infrastructure in place. It's practically all ruined. As long as the rain does not stop, it will be difficult to get some help. Efforts are being made. The situation is terrible."

For more information and to make a donation toward emergency relief efforts, visit https://www.fh.org/emergency/mozambique-cyclone-kenneth/

About Food for the Hungry
Food for the Hungry is a Christian humanitarian organization ending all forms of human poverty by providing life-changing development programs, disaster relief, and advocacy. Since 1971, Food for the Hungry has been going into the world’s hardest places with an exit strategy: to respond to human suffering and graduate communities of extreme poverty into self- sustainability, all within a decade. By creating context-specific solutions in education, agriculture, health, livelihood, clean water, and conflict risk reduction, the nonprofit focuses on transformational development, investing in children as the key to lift entire communities out of poverty. With 98% of staff working in their country of origin, Food for the Hungry works side- by-side with local leaders, churches, and families to implement innovative solutions. The organization currently serves more than 12.7 million people in over 20 countries worldwide. For more information, follow @food4thehungry or visit www.fh.org.