Cyclone Jude batters Malawi, Mozambique

Tropical Cyclone Jude slammed into parts of southern Africa this week, causing no deaths but leaving widespread damage, especially in Malawi and Mozambique.

Officials in the two countries said thousands of people were homeless and some areas were without power. Aid agencies distributed relief where they could, but washed-away roads made the task difficult.

The storm made landfall in northern Mozambique early Sunday and moved over southern Malawi, resulting in heavy rains affecting 13 districts from Monday to Wednesday.

A preliminary assessment from Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs released Thursday showed that the cyclone had so far affected more than 11,000 people.

This means their crops were washed away or their houses and property were either destroyed or submerged by floods.

The assessment said the cyclone displaced more than 3,000 people, who are now sheltered in six evacuation camps.

No deaths were recorded, but the disaster management department said collapsing buildings injured 15 people, including 5- and 8-year-old boys.

“The 5-year-old is receiving medical attention at Queen Elizabeth Central, and the 8-year-old is admitted as well and is at Mwanza District Hospital following the collapsing of a wall of a house,” said disaster management department spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula.

He said rescuers were still looking for three people who went missing Tuesday in Nsanje and Phalombe districts after their boat capsized on a flooded river.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that in Mozambique, relief operations were severely hampered by lack of access to thousands of people in Nampula province, where main roads, bridges and culverts were washed away.

The United Nations agency said moving relief items and personnel from Cabo Delgado province to Nampula was also difficult because the storm cut off the N1 national highway.

In Malawi, international aid agencies and the government were able to start relief operations in accessible areas. For example, the World Food Program on Thursday distributed some relief items to affected people in Mulanje district.

Simon Denhere, WFP’s acting country director in Malawi, said, “With support from the UK government, WFP and the Department of Management Affairs have prepositioned food supplies, emergency kits and operational equipment, including search and rescue boats, to enable rapid response.”

Lucy Mtilatila, director of Malawi’s Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, told VOA that Cyclone Jude had moved from Malawi to Mozambique, where it was expected to dissipate.

“Right now, the threat of the cyclone is almost over.” she said, adding that floods were still a concern, although "the impact that could come with rains that we are getting now will be very minimal.”

Jude is the third cyclone to affect Mozambique in the past three months, following Cyclones Chido in December and Dikeledi in January.

Malawi avoided a hit from Dikeledi but was struck by Chido in December.