Storm Freddy kills 15 in Malawi, Mozambique

Freddy, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, is ravaging southern Africa.

Mozambique and Malawi have calculated the cost of Storm Freddy, which swept through South Africa for the second time in a month this weekend, leaving a trail of destruction and killing at least 15 people.

Freddy is one of the strongest storms on record in the Southern Hemisphere and could be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

It ravaged by central Mozambique on Saturday, tearing roofs off buildings and causing widespread flooding around the port of Quelimane before moving inland towards Malawi with torrential rains triggering landslides.

Police in Malawi said 11 people died in areas around the southern town of Blantyre, where heavy rains caused flooding.

He said rescue teams were looking for people in Chilobwe and Ndirande, two of the hardest hit townships in Blantyre, where it was still raining on Monday and many residents were without power.

Four dead in Mozambique

At least four people have died in Mozambique while the damage was being assessed, according to authorities.

The full extent of the damage and loss of life, particularly in Mozambique, is not yet clear as power and telephone signals were cut in some parts of the affected area.

Mozambique has had more than a year’s worth of rainfall in the past four weeks, raising concerns that rivers could overflow their banks and cause widespread flooding.

Malawi is battling the deadliest cholera outbreak in its history, and UN agencies have warned the situation could worsen due to heavy rains caused by Freddy.

Scientists say climate change is making tropical storms stronger because oceans absorb heat from greenhouse gas emissions and when warm seawater evaporates, heat energy is transferred to the atmosphere.