Displaying items by tag: cyclone

The UN estimates that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people were affected by Cyclone Idai; the world does not yet realise the enormity of the situation. Six days after its 106 mph winds and rain hit southern Africa, thousands are still cut off. Beira, where the storms first made landfall, was not reached for three days. Every building in the city (population 500,000) was damaged. The whole region is without power. Food, clothes and medicine are needed immediately, but flooded, damaged roads need repairing before assistance can reach them. Save the Children warned on 18 March that 100,000’s of children are at risk as rivers burst their banks. Malawi was flooded by torrential rainfall before Idai made landfall in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Whole villages were swept away in the three countries. Pray for the military and humanitarian agencies trying to gain access to thousands of stranded people. Pray for abundant donations of food, drinking water, medicine and clothing to reach victims quickly, after what is believed to be the worst ever natural disaster in the southern hemisphere.

Australia is dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie, which caused widespread wind damage. It is now a low-pressure system, dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain and moving slowly down the eastern coast. Queensland was expecting the worst wild weather last night. Brisbane received twice the average monthly rainfall in 24 hours. The deluge will continue to the weekend. People are preparing sandbags for protection against further flood damage. 52,000 are without power, and rivers are rising significantly. In 2013 a research facility reported increased intensity in tropical cyclones near Australia as a result of climate change. See: