Mozambique Holds National Mourning for Cyclone Chido Victims
Click to start listening
Maputo, Dec 20 (NationPress) Mozambique has initiated a two-day national mourning period starting Friday to pay tribute to the victims of Cyclone Chido, which struck the northern provinces of the country last weekend, resulting in at least 73 deaths, over 540 injuries, and widespread destruction.
In a televised address on Thursday evening, President Filipe Nyusi extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and those affected by this disaster.
"To everyone who has suffered directly or indirectly due to this calamity, my thoughts and the hearts of all Mozambicans are with the grieving families," the president stated during his Communication to the Nation address, coinciding with Family Day, Christmas, and the End of the Year.
"We will promptly prioritize support for the rebuilding of shelters, housing, food, energy, water, and the distribution of seeds, alongside other forms of assistance that are currently underway," he added, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The cyclone impacted the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa, leading to extensive damage, displacing thousands, and affecting vital infrastructure.
According to the most recent update from INGD, the national disaster relief agency, Cyclone Chido has destroyed or damaged 36,207 homes, 49 healthcare facilities, 13 places of worship, 186 electricity poles, nine water systems, and 171 fishing boats. Additionally, 167 schools were affected, impacting 15,429 students and 224 teachers.
Two emergency accommodation centers have been established to shelter over 1,300 individuals in urgent need of assistance.
Humanitarian organizations have begun delivering emergency aid while actively seeking additional resources to support the more than 182,000 people impacted.
The French Interior Ministry reported on Thursday that the official death toll from Cyclone Chido in Mayotte, France's Indian Ocean territory, has risen to 31, with about 1,400 injuries.
A state of exceptional natural disaster was declared in this overseas department late Wednesday night. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Mayotte on Thursday, as concerns mount regarding a potential increase in the death toll in the coming days.
In a statement released late Wednesday, Francois-Noel Buffet, the caretaker Minister for Overseas, announced the activation of the state of exceptional natural disaster in Mayotte to enable more rapid and effective crisis management and implement emergency measures.
On Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed concern over the disappearance of more than 200 volunteers feared missing in the aftermath of the cyclone's devastation on the islands.
Mayotte, located in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, is an overseas department and region of France. It is positioned off the southeastern coast of Africa, nestled between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.
Cyclone Chido originated as a tropical depression in the southeastern Indian Ocean basin between December 7 and 8.
Cyclone Chido was classified as a tropical depression, characterized by a low atmospheric pressure region over an ocean, accompanied by a circular wind pattern generated by thunderstorms. Such systems showcase maximum sustained wind speeds of 61 km/h or less.
If a tropical depression intensifies, it may develop into a tropical storm, defined by wind speeds ranging from 62 km/h to 119 km/h. Winds exceeding this threshold categorize the system as a tropical cyclone.
The terminology surrounding these systems can be somewhat perplexing. In the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and northeastern Pacific Ocean, tropical cyclones are referred to as hurricanes. Conversely, in the western Pacific Ocean, they are termed typhoons, while in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the term cyclone is utilized.
