[ad_1]
Leaving the airport of Beira, a port city that suffered the shock of the cyclone, it was impossible to escape the sight of debris. As the rain diminishes, locals begin to monitor the remaining ruins and begin their cleanup efforts.
Images of drones fired by CNN between Beira and the village of Tica revealed the extent of the damage in the areas affected by the cyclone.
The factories were demolished and the entire aluminum roof of a school building was suspended precariously.
Nothing in Beira – from the cathedral to restaurants, banks and the harbor, where the cyclone dislodged shipping containers – has not escaped Idai's wrath.
From wealthy homes built in a catchy Portuguese colonial style to more modest properties, the tropical cyclone has taken something.
Telecom masts, satellite streams and the Internet have all been under duress. The overall effect is that Idai has propelled this burgeoning port city into a pre-digital world.
Yet, it is not until leaving Beira that the destructive powers of the cyclone are actually exposed.
On the road to Tica, about 80 kilometers from the beaches of Beira, images of drones revealed vast expanses of waterlogged land and huge trees broken like branches.
This road inland Mozambique should lead up to Zimbabwe with the sea firmly in the rearview mirror.
Instead, the vast expanses of visible inland waters of space welcome motorists.
For many, these waters have taken over their lives. Farmers' crops have disappeared and their cattle are left to wade through murky waters in search of a place to graze.
To further complicate the situation, the floods will not disappear soon, as the rains have continued to fall.
Homeless newcomers have no choice but to make their way through the sodden landscape to hastily improvised shelters.
More than half a million people were affected in the country and at least 110,000 found refuge in camps.
At the same time, humanitarian efforts to reach the trapped people continue, but collapsed roads hinder progress.
Without any other option, some people use rudimentary canoes to cross the floodplains, while others walk to several hours of walking to safe places.
Mozambique's Minister of Land and Environment, Celso Correia, said this weekend that 446 people have now been killed in the country. But humanitarian organizations say it is premature to say how many people have been killed, while some affected areas remain inaccessible.
Many wonder what could happen in the next few days in this intoxicating mix of unknown deaths, sweltering heat and flooded land.
The Mozambican president, Philippe Nyesi, described this phenomenon as a "major disaster" and its scope remains to be realized.
Farai Sevenzo and Anna Cardovillis have been reported in Mozambique. Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed to this report.
[ad_2]Source link
