* But as it departs, it will continue to trigger significant rainfall over many of Southern Region areas into tomorrow, March 13
* Next update will be issued this afternoon at 4pm as DCCMS continues to monitor Jude’s movement and strength
By Duncan Mlanjira
The Department of Climate Change & Meteorological Services (DCCMS) reports that tropical cyclone Jude is expected to exit Malawi by this afternoon through Nsanje.
However, the DCCMS as the cyclone departs, it will continue to trigger significant rainfall over many areas of of Southern Region into tomorrow, March 13 and the areas forecasted to be highly impacted (category 10) still include: Mulanje, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Zomba, Blantyre, Mangochi, Machinga, Neno, Mwanza, Nsanje and Chikwawa (image above).
“The torrential rains will be accompanied by possible damaging winds exceeding with high likelihood of flash flooding in the highlighted areas (red) from Monday. The orange color represents category 9 in areas while yellow depicts category 5.
In the meantime, DCCMS assures that will continue to monitor Jude’s movement and strength and any possible changes on its impacts on Malawi weather will be communicated to the nation accordingly — with the next to be issued this afternoon at 4pm.
Advertisement
DCCMS continues to advise people in flood-prone and low-lying areas in Southern Region to be on high alert for possible flooding; and that if flooding occurs in their area, they should move to higher ground immediately and follow evacuation orders when issued.
They should also examine buildings to ensure that they can withstand the strong winds; otherwise, it is recommended to avoid weak structures during this period.
“Stay away from rivers and streams as may rise rapidly and become dangerous during heavy rains and avoid travelling during stormy weather; if possible, as driving in strong winds can be dangerous.”
Meanwhile, a report by africanews.com indicates that there is widespread damage in Mozambique following passage of Cyclone Jude after crashing through the country on Monday with winds of up to 120km per hour and torrential rain.
The report says impacts of Jude caused flooding and widespread damage to infrastructure, leaving people homeless and without power.
The Mozambique National Institute of Meteorology is quoted as saying the tropical storm made its landfall over the district of Mossuril in Nampula province in the early hours of the morning.
Locals in Nacala, a city in the province, were taken aback by its severity, with Nacala resident Isabel Namoro being quoted as saying on Monday: “This rain doesn’t stop falling; it started around 1am, and they’re saying it’s going to rain for 24 hours, and 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.”
Africanews.com further reports that the situation in the region is already fragile and humanitarian response capacities overstretched following two recent cyclones, one in December and the other in January.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) described the situation as “very bad” and said children are particularly vulnerable as flooding increases the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, and malaria.
UNICEF, which has been working with the government to distribute emergency aid kits and other forms of help to those affected, is quoted as saying Nampula has the highest number of children out of any province in Mozambique.
Advertisement