Death toll rises after Cyclone Gombe leaves parts of Mozambique in tatters
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Mar 14, 2022 12:02 PM EDT
|
Updated Mar 15, 2022 11:16 AM EDT
Cleanup was underway in Nacala, Mozambique, on March 13 after Cyclone Gombe killed at least 12 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes.
Less than two months removed from Cyclone Ana's destruction, another powerful tropical cyclone has devastated portions of Mozambique in southeastern Africa. Cyclone Gombe made landfall early Friday morning, local time, displacing more than 100,000 residents, killing at least 15 people, including five from the same family, and injuring another 50 on its journey inland.
Gombe reached land as the equivalent strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic or East Pacific basins. The cyclone had a 10-minute sustained wind speed average of 104 mph (167 km/h) as it slammed onshore 31 miles (50 km) south of the Island of Mozambique.
Footage of the cyclone's aftermath showed homes leveled, trees uprooted, sheet metal roofs twisted and chunks of asphalt completely stripped away. Among the buildings damaged include 16 health units and 113 schools, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The provinces of Nampula and Zambezia have sustained the most significant damage with some areas near the coast completely cut off from communication, according to early reports.
Around 12,000 homes have been completely destroyed with another 11,000 sustaining serious damage, according to The AP. Oceanfront homes were seen precariously balancing on the edge of cliffs in the port city of Nacala, AFP reported.
Quelimane, a city located along Mozambique's central coast and home to nearly 350,000 people, received 8.59 inches (218.3 mm) from the storm spanning Friday to Monday, local time.
Twenty-five shelters have been opened in the hardest-hit provinces of Nampula and Zambezia to house the displaced, according to The AP. Some of these same communities were left with significant destruction during Ana's rampage in late January.
Local officials report that the agricultural fields in the region, which the locals depend on for food, have taken a significant hit with some rendered "useless."
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While Gombe is no longer a tropical entity, forecasters say an unsettled weather pattern will remain in place across Mozambique through the rest of the week, with each day bringing renewed downpours. This additional rainfall can not only lead to incidents of flooding but also tack on additional hardships for those left combing the rubble and cleaning up debris.
Gombe is just the latest cyclone to impact this part of the world in what has been a busy stretch of tropical activity in the southwestern Indian Ocean.
Cyclone Batsirai delivered a crushing blow to Mozambique's eastern neighbor of Madagascar during the early part of February. In mid-February, Tropical Storm Dumako crossed Madagascar and later made landfall near Quelimane, Mozambique. Intense Tropical Cyclone Emanti then followed, sweeping through southern Madagascar before turning southward away from land.
The Southwest Indian Ocean tropical season begins in the middle of November and does not officially end until the end of April.
For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Hurricane
Death toll rises after Cyclone Gombe leaves parts of Mozambique in tatters
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Mar 14, 2022 12:02 PM EDT | Updated Mar 15, 2022 11:16 AM EDT
Cleanup was underway in Nacala, Mozambique, on March 13 after Cyclone Gombe killed at least 12 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes.
Less than two months removed from Cyclone Ana's destruction, another powerful tropical cyclone has devastated portions of Mozambique in southeastern Africa. Cyclone Gombe made landfall early Friday morning, local time, displacing more than 100,000 residents, killing at least 15 people, including five from the same family, and injuring another 50 on its journey inland.
Gombe reached land as the equivalent strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic or East Pacific basins. The cyclone had a 10-minute sustained wind speed average of 104 mph (167 km/h) as it slammed onshore 31 miles (50 km) south of the Island of Mozambique.
Footage of the cyclone's aftermath showed homes leveled, trees uprooted, sheet metal roofs twisted and chunks of asphalt completely stripped away. Among the buildings damaged include 16 health units and 113 schools, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The provinces of Nampula and Zambezia have sustained the most significant damage with some areas near the coast completely cut off from communication, according to early reports.
Around 12,000 homes have been completely destroyed with another 11,000 sustaining serious damage, according to The AP. Oceanfront homes were seen precariously balancing on the edge of cliffs in the port city of Nacala, AFP reported.
Quelimane, a city located along Mozambique's central coast and home to nearly 350,000 people, received 8.59 inches (218.3 mm) from the storm spanning Friday to Monday, local time.
Twenty-five shelters have been opened in the hardest-hit provinces of Nampula and Zambezia to house the displaced, according to The AP. Some of these same communities were left with significant destruction during Ana's rampage in late January.
Local officials report that the agricultural fields in the region, which the locals depend on for food, have taken a significant hit with some rendered "useless."
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
While Gombe is no longer a tropical entity, forecasters say an unsettled weather pattern will remain in place across Mozambique through the rest of the week, with each day bringing renewed downpours. This additional rainfall can not only lead to incidents of flooding but also tack on additional hardships for those left combing the rubble and cleaning up debris.
Gombe is just the latest cyclone to impact this part of the world in what has been a busy stretch of tropical activity in the southwestern Indian Ocean.
Cyclone Batsirai delivered a crushing blow to Mozambique's eastern neighbor of Madagascar during the early part of February. In mid-February, Tropical Storm Dumako crossed Madagascar and later made landfall near Quelimane, Mozambique. Intense Tropical Cyclone Emanti then followed, sweeping through southern Madagascar before turning southward away from land.
The Southwest Indian Ocean tropical season begins in the middle of November and does not officially end until the end of April.
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