Tropical STORM Eloise CYCLONE made Landfall in Mozambican city of Beira Jan 23, 2021

Tropical STORM Eloise CYCLONE made Landfall in Mozambican city of Beira Jan 23, 2021

Cyclone Eloise made landfall near Beira, a major city in Sofala province, central Mozambique, around 2 AM Saturday (local time) with high winds, heavy rains and severe flooding. The city was in the eye of ferocious Cyclone Idai, which killed more than 600 people and left hundreds more injured, in 2019.

Preliminary figures indicate that at least six people died and 12 injured due to Cyclone Eloise, but the number may rise as more information becomes available. The storm also damaged more than 8,800 houses and at least 26 health centres, and disrupted power and communication links.

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 176,000 people – including up to 90,000 children – have been affected, with several thousand displaced. On ground and aerial assessments are ongoing.

Jens Laerke, an OCHA spokesperson told journalists at a media briefing in Geneva that the most urgent humanitarian needs identified so far include food, tents, drinking water, hygiene kits, COVID-19 prevention materials, mosquito nets, and blankets. He also called for more resources to fund response.

“As humanitarian partners were already responding to multiple needs in Mozambique including the conflict in Cabo Delgado in the north and the recent impact of Tropical Storm Chalane, more resources are urgently needed to ensure we can scale up quickly to respond to Tropical Cyclone Eloise,” he said.