Cyclone Jude struck Mozambique on Monday, bringing with it winds of up to 120 km per hour and heavy rainfall that led to widespread flooding and significant infrastructure damage. The storm’s destructive path left many people homeless and without power, exacerbating an already fragile situation in the region.
According to the Mozambique National Institute of Meteorology, the tropical storm made landfall early in the morning in the district of Mossuril, located in Nampula province. The city of Nacala, also in Nampula, was among the hardest-hit areas, with locals expressing shock at the cyclone’s intensity.
Nacala resident Isabel Namoro described the situation: “This rain doesn’t stop falling; it started around 1 a.m., and they’re saying it’s going to rain for 24 hours. The wind and thunder don’t stop. The backyard walls and gates have fallen down. We can’t go to the market; there’s a lot of water. We’re suffering a lot.”
The storm’s impact has been devastating, and the area was already vulnerable, with humanitarian response capacities stretched thin following two previous cyclones in December and January. The destruction caused by Cyclone Jude only compounds the existing challenges, further straining Mozambique’s ability to respond to the crisis effectively.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has characterized the situation as “very bad” and warned that children are particularly vulnerable to the storm’s effects. The region is at high risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and malaria due to the widespread flooding. Nampula, where the cyclone made landfall, is the province with the highest number of children in Mozambique, which raises additional concerns about the well-being of young people in the area.
Local resident Sheila added, “It has been raining in Nacala since yesterday, and children are unable to go to school. They have no way to buy bread or anything. There is a lot of wind, houses and zinc sheets are falling down. In this area, five houses have collapsed. Our neighbors are crying, they are suffering.”
UNICEF, in collaboration with the government, is already working to distribute emergency aid kits, food, and other essential supplies to those affected by the storm. However, the need for humanitarian assistance remains immense, as communities in Nampula and other provinces face severe challenges in recovering from Cyclone Jude’s destruction.
Mozambique has faced several years of devastating cyclones, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis has drawn attention to the need for greater resilience-building and disaster preparedness across the region. With Cyclone Jude’s impact still being assessed, the country’s recovery efforts are expected to continue for some time.
