Tropical storm Ana has reportedly killed at least three people in Mozambique and Malawi after making landfall on Monday bringing heavy rains and strong winds.
According to the Mozambique’s National Institute for Management and Disaster Risk Reduction, two people had been killed and 66 injured, while 546 homes had been partially destroyed and another 115 completely destroyed.
Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs said one person had died and 30 had sustained injuries, with displaced households seeking refuge from flooding in churches and schools.
The storm triggered major power cuts in Malawi, with its electricity generation company EGENCO saying that as of 1800 local time (1600 GMT) on Tuesday only 30% of the country’s installed capacity was available.
The Kapichira hydropower station in particular was badly damaged, with EGENCO explaining that the intake dam structure had been partly washed away during flash floods.
Mozambique and other southern African countries have been repeatedly struck by severe storms and cyclones in recent years that have destroyed infrastructure and displaced large numbers of people.
According to Reuters, World Food Programme (WFP) said one of its main concerns was that heavy rainfall and flooding during the agriculture season could lead to harvests being lost, causing a substantial rise in food prices.
“Ana marks the beginning of the South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, … according to forecasts more intense weather events can be expected in the next few months,” WFP explained further.
