Winds and rain hammer Mozambique as Cyclone Freddy approaches

• Freddy started 34 days ago in the northwest of Australia.
• One person has died, raising the death toll to at least 28 since the hurricane made landfall.
• Citizens have been asked to take refuge in temporary shelters such as schools.

Cyclone Freddy has made landfall in Mozambique for the second time in a month, bringing rain, strong gusts, and flooding.

The country in southern Africa has received more than a year’s worth of rain in the last four weeks.

Freddy, which started 34 days ago in the northwest of Australia, could become the longest-lasting storm on record.

One person has died, raising the death toll to at least 28 since the hurricane made landfall.

Second landfall

On Saturday, the hurricane made its second landfall near the eastern seaport of Quelimane at around 22:00 (20:00 GMT).

Citizens have been asked to take refuge in temporary shelters such as schools, churches, and warehouses.

According to local disaster services, more than 500,000 people may be at risk of a humanitarian crisis this time.

One guy died when his horse fell during the severe winds that rocked the country.

According to TVM, the power utility company has switched off the electricity as a precaution, and all flights have been canceled.

The cyclone is said to have stopped offshore and is expected to make landfall soon.

“I can see some houses with roofs torn apart, broken windows and the streets flooded. It’s really scary,” charity worker Vania Massingue, from the port city of Quelimane in Zambezia province, told.

Climate warming, according to experts, is making tropical storms around the world wetter, windier, and more severe.

Freddy had already smashed records for the amount of strength it had amassed on its 8,000-kilometer (5,000-mile) journey across the Indian Ocean to northwestern Australia.

According to Mozambique’s national disaster management organization, more than 1.5 million people have been affected since the hurricane hit last month, with more than 8,000 individuals forced to flee their homes.

A humanitarian mission is underway in the region, but aid attempts may be impeded by new heavy rains caused by Freddy’s return.

Malawi, where health officials are facing a cholera outbreak, is also expected to be hit.

Forecast experts anticipate that the storm will bring damaging winds and heavy rain to wide areas, including north-east Zimbabwe and south-east Zambia.

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