JOHANNESBURG (AP) – The port city of Moira, Mozambique, breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday as Cyclone Eloise caused less damage than feared as it passed, but the danger of flooding remained in a region still recovering of a devastating cyclone two years ago.
“We all feel it has been a lot less than we expected,” said Kobus Botha, head of the agricultural and logistics company Servir. “If you remember (the cyclone) Idai, we’d all say, ‘It’s not too bad,’ but 24 hours later the big waters came.” Idai in 2019 killed several hundred people and displaced more than 100,000.
Prior to the arrival of the cyclone, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned that at least 100,000 people would be affected.
“Heavy rains will persist for more than 24 hours,” he said. “The amount of rain will be enough to flood low areas of Beira and Buzi. There may be more flooding a few days later as the accumulated water flows down the Pungue and Buzi rivers from Zimbabwe. “
In a more likely scenario, the IFRC expects 400,000 people to be affected, as “torrential rains immediately flood low-lying areas of Beira, Buzi, Nhamatanda, Chibabava and Sussundenga. The accumulation of water in Zimbabwe will run downstream, expanding the flooded areas for several days.
The eye of the storm passed over Beira before Saturday morning as it caused heavy rains in Zambezia province and its capital, Quelimane. The cyclone lost strength after reaching land, but took out electricity and communications infrastructure in Beira, a city of about half a million people, and surrounding areas.
“The Vodacom network recorded a temporary interruption … cutting off communication for users throughout the city of Beira and in certain districts of Sofala province,” Vodacom said in a statement.
The electricity company EDM said it had turned off the power as a precautionary measure after the water reached a Beira substation, local dam Carta de Mocambique reported.
“Looking from here into the distance you can see everything that is missing from the roof leaves,” said Ben Van Wyk, a resident of Beira. “But the mayor (Daviz Simango) has been a master of preparation. Yesterday, the whole of Beira put sandbags on the roofs ”, while the municipal authorities rolled their eyes to remove sand from the beach.
Eloise is the second cyclone to hit central Mozambique this season, after Chalane in December. But from Idai, “now people know what a cyclone is and take it seriously,” Van Wyk said.