Cyclone Kenneth: Thousands evacuated as Mozambique is hit with the strongest storm in its history Posted in INSIDE AFRICA By kidafricalive On April 29, 2019 (CNN) Thousands of people were being evacuated to shelters Thursday as powerful Tropical Cyclone Kenneth bore down on northern Mozambique. Cyclone Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai tore into central Mozambique, killing more than 600 people and displacing thousands. The National Institute of Disaster Management said it would relocate rescue equipment including boats and helicopters from Beira, which was devastated by Idai. Anabela Moreira, who owns a lodge on Wimby beach in Pemba, told AFP: “I’ve never seen anything like it in my 15 years in Pemba.”. The … “There’s never been two storms this strong hit in the same year, let alone within five weeks of each other in Mozambique,” said Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist who has worked in east Africa and was watching the cyclone’s path closely. So the kind of rainfall totals that the models are showing for Kenneth are really extreme in the global context,” he said. It may be the worst weather-related disaster ever to hit the southern hemisphere, with 1.7 million people in the path of the cyclone in Mozambique and 920,000 affected in … “We have very strong evidence that everywhere in the world, rainfall is getting more intense,” Holthaus said. Power lines were reported down in some communities of northern Mozambique, and Pemba city had significant power outages, said Katie Wilkes, spokeswoman with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The U.N. called it the first time in known history that the southern African nation has been hit by two cyclones in one season. On 19 March, Idai's remnants re-emerged into the Mozambique Channel and eventually dissipated on 21 March. "Cyclone Kenneth may require a major new humanitarian operation" in one of the world's poorest nations, even as post-Cyclone Idai relief operations are expected to continue for months, U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said in a statement. Many roofs were ripped off in adjacent Ibo, with families reportedly left with no food or shelter. Forecasters said the new cyclone made landfall Thursday night in a part of Mozambique that has not seen such a storm in at least 60 years. Hundreds of humanitarian workers are in Mozambique in the wake of Idai, and so the rescue and aid effort is expected to move faster than it did five weeks ago. The greatest force of Kenneth was expended in a sparsely populated area, so the storm caused fewer deaths and less destruction than Cyclone Idai. Waves crash ashore in Pemba, Mozambique, on Friday. “What are these people going to be eating for the next three to six months?”. Cyclone Kenneth packed the power of a Category 4 hurricane as it approached Mozambique, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Mozambique is reeling after an unprecedented two cyclones swept ashore within six weeks, wreaking havoc and leaving hundreds dead and tens of thousands displaced. Cyclone Kenneth made landfall near Pemba, Mozambique, in the late afternoon of April 25, 2019, with sustained winds clocked at 140 mph. JOHANNESBURG — A powerful cyclone continued to dump rain on northern Mozambique Friday, with the United Nations warning of "massive flooding.". "Families whose lives have been turned upside down by these climate-related disasters need the generosity of the international community to survive.". Nour Hemici, WFP, AFP | This handout picture released and taken on April 26, 2019 by the World Food Programme shows the battered coast of Wimbi … The increased threat of diseases such as cholera and malaria, as well as the availability of food, are major long-term worries that communities affected by both Kenneth and Idai face. Cyclone Idai tore into central Mozambique, Mozambique, Zimbabwe mourn after destructive cyclone. Cyclone Kenneth arrived late on Thursday, just six weeks after Cyclone Idai ripped into central Mozambique and killed more than 600 people. However, with short-term effects including severe flooding, landslides and power cuts, and destroyed homes and harvests in the long term, Mozambique, one of the world’s poorest countries, will struggle to cope. The Cabo Delgado region of northern Mozambique is not as highly populated as the area surrounding Beira, and the main coastal city, Pemba, is not expected to take a direct hit, so there may be fewer people affected than by Idai. On 14 March, tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall at the port of Beira, Mozambique, before moving across the region. The cyclone over the next 10 days is expected to dump twice as much rain as Cyclone Idai did last month, according to World Food Program spokesman Herve Verhoosel. With maximum wind speeds of 140 mph, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, the deadly storm struck just six weeks after the country was devastated by Cyclone Idai. So far there have been 45 recorded cyclone-related fatalities and a cholera outbreak … ... Cyclone Kenneth battered northern Mozambique on Thursday with gusts of up to 280 km/h after killing three people on the island nation of … Kenneth is the strongest tropical cyclone to hit Mozambique in known history. There is evidence, however, that blocking patterns such as the one that makes Kenneth so intense are getting stronger with climate change, he added. It battered northern parts of the country with winds gusting up to 174 mph after killing three people on the island nation of Comoros. Cyclone Kenneth. The National Institute of Disaster Management in Mozambique said … Just over a month after Cyclone Idai left more than 1,000 dead in the region, Cyclone Kenneth struck the East African nation of Mozambique, where residents were bracing for dangerous floods. On March 14, Mozambique was hit by Tropical Cyclone Idai, which caused more than 600 deaths, left hundreds missing and displaced thousands. "It's been a challenge for us even to have clear lines of communication.". With high winds and torrential rain, Kenneth made landfall in the country’s north on Thursday night, five weeks after Cyclone Idai devastated its centre. Around 680,000 people were in the path of the storm. (IN-DEPTH: Kenneth is a Rare Southern African Cyclone) Kenneth made l… Venter said the cyclone was not expected to cause as much damage as Cyclone Idai, which hit in March and killed more than 1,000 people in … Kenneth was the strongest cyclone strike in this part of Mozambique in recent memory. The UN warned of flash flooding and landslides. Cyclone Kenneth: Flooding feared as heavy rains hit Mozambique 26 April 2019 The cyclone hit a resort in the northern province of Cabo Delgado on … Cyclone Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai tore into central Mozambique, killing more than 600 people and displacing thousands. According to Mozambique's National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC), 38 people have been killed by Cyclone Kenneth, while another 35,000 homes have … Some … “We can directly link Kenneth with climate change for that reason. After forming off Madagascar’s coast earlier this week, Kenneth passed to the north of the island nation of Comoros on Wednesday night, killing three people and causing widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. Churches, banks and petrol stations sustained serious damage, with trees flattened. Cyclone Kenneth hit the north coast of Mozambique in Cabo Delgado province after swiping Comoros. Available for everyone, funded by readers, More than two million people in at-risk areas in two countries were moved into shelters, People trapped by rising flood water as Cyclone Kenneth dumps more rain on the region, A category 5 storm has torn through the Bay of Bengal, lashing beaches with rain and winds of up to 205km/h, affecting weather as far away as Mount Everest, One million people evacuated as 170km/h winds make landfall in eastern Odisha state. Cyclone Kenneth battered northern Mozambique on Thursday with sustained winds of up to 220 km per hour (137 miles per hour) after killing three people on the island nation of Comoros overnight. But the country is struggling to deal with the after-effects of the first cyclone and has little capacity to tackle a new disaster. Prior to making landfall on the north coast of Mozambique, cyclone Kenneth ran over Comoros subjecting the island nation to extreme storms and high seas leaving 3 people dead overnight. Surpassing both Idai and the 2000 cyclone that had been the strongest to date, Kenneth hit Cabo Delgado province with winds of 140mph (225km/h), but heavy rain is expected to cause the most damage. "The families whose lives have been turned upside down by these climate-related disasters urgently need the generosity of the international community to survive over the coming months," he said. One person was killed in the city of Pemba. Millions of people in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe have been affected by what is the worst natural disaster to hit southern Africa in at least two decades. The government, which said it evacuated some 30,000 people ahead of the storm, and aid groups hurried to assess the damage Friday. Not only is this an extremely intense rainfall event, globally, but it’s being made worse because of climate change.”. Cyclone Kenneth hit the north coast of Mozambique in Cabo Delgado province after swiping the Comoros. At least 45 deaths have been reported and 18,029 people were initially reportedly displaced, according to the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC). While damage assessments are still in the very early stages, "we know this is a very vulnerable area, higher in poverty" than the one hit last month by Cyclone Idai, she said. Kenneth has hit at the peak of harvest season, meaning a possible six-month period without food. “It’s not just the immediate effects of someone losing their home, it’s also the longer-term effects of food price increases and lack of a harvest for farmers,” the Red Cross’s Matthew Carter said. BACK TO QUESTIONS. Kenneth rapidly intensified from a Category 1- to a Category 4-equivalent tropical cyclone up until almost landfall between April 24-25. Information was still trickling out of affected areas on Friday afternoon, but the impact of so much water is expected to escalate over the next few days: river flows will peak around Monday, according to the UN’s emergency agency. Cyclone Idai was the most powerful storm to hit the area in decades impacting neighbouring countries Malawi and Zimbabwe. “The Mozambican people know how to respond to disasters like this,” the country’s president, Filipe Nyusi, said in a televised address. All rights reserved. Holthaus said there was probably a “blocking pattern” in the upper atmosphere that prevented Kenneth from dissipating inland or escaping to the south, so it would most likely sit around 100km (60 miles) inland, attracting more moisture from the Indian Ocean. The destruction caused by Cyclone Kenneth, the strongest storm on record to hit Mozambique, may require another massive aid effort in a country still reeling from the year’s first tropical cyclone, the UN has said. Cyclone Idai and Kenneth cause devastation and suffering in Mozambique. The UN warned of flash flooding … About 80% of … Mozambique's local emergency operations center said a woman in the city of Pemba was killed by a falling tree, while a "high number" of houses in Macomia district in Cabo Delgado province were destroyed. Cyclone Kenneth made landfall in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province on April 25, 2019. The cyclone hit Mozambique more north than Cyclone Idai, with Quissanga, Macomia, and Ibo districts in Cabo Delgado hardest-hit, according to preliminary government reports. Mozambique hit by 2nd cyclone in 6 weeks. Fallen trees are pictured on a road on April 25, 2019, in Moroni after tropical storm Kenneth hit Comoros before heading to recently cyclone-ravaged Mozambique. There is no record of a hurricane-strength tropical cyclone in Cabo Delgado Provincein NOAA's historical database. Still reeling from Cyclone Idai, country hit by its strongest ever recorded storm, Fri 26 Apr 2019 13.07 EDT With high winds and torrential rain, Kenneth made landfall in the country’s north on Thursday night, five weeks after Cyclone Idai devastated its centre. Kenneth is the strongest tropical cyclone to hit Mozambique in known history, but its impact was not expected to be as devastating as that of … About 80% of homes were destroyed or partially destroyed in Macomia district, home to more than 90,000 people, according to Unicef. The aftermath of Cyclone Kenneth on a beach in Pemba, Mozambique, on Friday. “Cyclone Kenneth may require a major new humanitarian operation at the same time that the ongoing Cyclone Idai response targeting 3 million people in three countries remains critically underfunded,” said Mark Lowcock, the UN humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. Authorities have said there are concerns that five rivers as well as coastal waterways could overflow. Four ships sank off Palma town, with no reported deaths, the center said. Idai brought strong winds and caused severe flooding in Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, which killed at least 1,303 people – and affected more than 3 million others. The death toll in storm-hit northern Mozambique has jumped to 38 after Cyclone Kenneth battered the country last week, according to officials, with aid workers struggling to … Mozambique has had to take out a $118m (£91m) loan from the International Monetary Fund in the wake of Idai, something debt relief campaigners have called a “shocking indictment” of the international community, saying impoverished countries should be given emergency grants rather than having to borrow more money. “The families whose lives have been turned upside down by these climate-related disasters urgently need the generosity of the international community to survive over the coming months.”, Forecasters at Météo-France warned Kenneth could bring waves five metres (16ft) higher than usual. With 140 mph winds, Kenneth is the first hurricane strength cyclone to strike Mozambique in over 60 years and thousands more are feared to be affected by the aftermath of flooding. The rainfall, which could reach 750mm in some areas, will be catastrophic for the people of northern Mozambique. Meteorologists said Kenneth, which was a category 4 hurricane on Wednesday night, was an “anomaly”. This handout picture taken on April 25, 2019 and provided by the World Food Programme shows the battered coast of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, where cyclone Kenneth is … The African nation's emergency officials said 30,000 people have been evacuated from the areas the storm would likely hit. Cyclone Kenneth slammed into northern Mozambique Thursday evening. Cyclone Fani hits Bangladesh after killing 15 in India, Five dead and homes flattened after cyclone hits Mozambique, Cyclone Fani hits India's east coast – in pictures, Cyclone Fani: at least eight dead in India’s biggest storm in decades, Cyclone Fani: India evacuates 800,000 from coastal areas, Cyclone Kenneth death toll in Mozambique rises as rain continues, Mozambique: people trapped in rising floods as Cyclone Kenneth batters country – video report, Mayor in Mozambique says negligence led to cyclone deaths. Kenneth is the strongest recorded cyclone to hit Mozambique. First published on Thu 25 Apr 2019 16.23 EDT. “Nothing like this has happened in this region, and rarely happens anywhere in the world, where a cyclone of this strength stalls for this many days. There are concerns that five rivers as well as coastal waterways could overflow Mozambique in Cabo Delgado province after Comoros... The kind of rainfall totals that the southern African nation has been hit two! 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