hurricane Kenneth sows death and loss in Mozambique

The death toll due to hurricane Kenneth in Mozambique has increased further to at least 38. The authorities report this. Five deaths were reported earlier. More than a million children urgently need help, Unicef alerts.

Kenneth came ashore last Thursday in the province of Cabo Delgado, in the north of the African country, and was accompanied by massive rainfall, which in some villages destroyed up to 90 percent of the houses. According to the United Nations, thousands of homes were destroyed and some 18,000 people internally displaced.

The force of nature came just six weeks after the passage of Hurricane Idai. UNICEF calculated that another 368,000 children urgently need help. This brings the total number of children in need to 1.4 million. They live in areas in the north and the central part of the country, where Idai and Kenneth have kept ugly homes. The soil is saturated with water and the rivers are swelling. We expect huge floods in the coming days

“Extra vulnerable”

“Cabo Delgado has no previous experience with cyclones, which means that the communities in this region are not prepared for a severe storm,” said Michel Le Pechoux, who works for Unicef in Mozambique last weekend.

“This makes families with children extra vulnerable. The soil is saturated with water and the rivers are swelling. We expect huge floods in the coming days and do everything we can to bring everyone to safety.”

After the passage of Idai, the number of people in need of help for shelter, food or medication stood at 1.85 million people.

Emergency assistance

Kenneth also wreaked havoc last week in Comoros, an island state north of Madagascar. Crops have been destroyed, livestock have been killed and in many places, the electricity has failed. At least four people were killed on the island of Grande Comore.

The UN announced yesterday that 13 million dollars will be released for emergency aid. The European Union initially earmarked € 1.5 million to help the victims. That money is intended for food, water, emergency housing, sanitation, and telecommunications.

For the victims of hurricane Idai, the EU allocated almost 16 million euros.