Record-breaking Cyclone Freddy kills nearly 200 in Malawi and Mozambique
Freddy has broken records for the number of times it has re-intensified after weakening, and has recorded the highest-ever recorded accumulated energy for a single cyclone - more energy over its lifetime than a whole typical US hurricane season.
Wednesday 15 March 2023 03:06, UK
A long-lasting cyclone that is refusing to dissipate has torn through Malawi and Mozambique killing around 200 people and leaving many others injured or missing.
At least 190 have died in Malawi and five have been confirmed dead in Mozambique, where the full extent of the damage and loss of life is not yet clear.
Authorities in Malawi said earlier they expect the death toll to rise.
Cyclone Freddy hit Africa for the second time in a month on Saturday night causing widespread devastation.
It has broken records for the number of times it has re-intensified after weakening - seven times.
It is also set to be the longest-ever recorded tropical cyclone, and has the highest-ever recorded accumulated energy for a storm - that is how much energy a cyclone has released over a certain time.
So far, it has recorded more energy over its lifetime than a whole typical US hurricane season.
And the cyclone hasn't subsided yet, according to French weather agency Meteo-France's regional centre, which warned "the heaviest rains will continue over the next 48 hours".
On Saturday, Freddy made landfall in the seaport of Quelimane in Zambezia province, Mozambique, where there were reports of damage to houses and farmlands.
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One family in Malawi died after torrid winds and rain destroyed their house, according to authorities.
Among the victims is a three-year-old child who was "trapped in the debris" with her parents reported missing, authorities said.
On the toll of casualties and missing people, Malawi police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said: "We suspect that this figure will rise as we are trying to compile one national report from our southwest, southeast and eastern police offices which cover the affected areas."
The destruction is being compounded by the threat of disease with Doctors Without Borders saying the threat of a resurgence of cholera remains a major concern as Malawi recently suffered the biggest outbreak the country has seen in its history.
Over the last month, the storm travelled from near Australia across the entire southern Indian Ocean, hitting Madagascar and Reunion on its path.
The UN's weather agency will determine if Freddy has broken the record for the longest tropical cyclone set by Hurricane John in 1994 of 31 days.
Meteo-France also said that Freddy should subside and exit back to the sea on Wednesday.
Experts say that while fossil-fuel driven climate change has not increased the number of tropical cyclones overall, it has increased the number of intense and destructive storms in three key ways.
A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing the extreme rainfall dumped by storms. Hotter oceans also fuel more powerful storms, spreading tropical storms further north and south. Higher sea levels also inflict more damage during a storm surge.