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After four days of devastating winds and rain, local communities and aid workers are now dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy, which has killed more than 250 people and displaced tens of thousands more in Malawi and Mozambique and could still cause more damage.
Cyclone Freddy made landfall on Wednesday, but the weather monitoring center warned that countries were still vulnerable to floods and landslides.
At least 225 people have been killed in southern Malawi, including in the financial capital Blantyre, officials said.
About 88,000 people are still displaced and parts of the region remain inaccessible.
The President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, has declared a 14-day period of national mourning. In Mozambique, authorities said at least 53 had died since Saturday, with another 50,000 still displaced.
The death toll is expected to rise as authorities uncover the damage.
Diseases caused by water
In Malawi, when there was an outbreak of cholera when Cyclone Freddy tore through the country, deaths from the disease and other water-borne diseases were also expected to rise.
“We haven’t had any water for the past four days and the water is going to be contaminated,” said Andrew Mavala, executive director of the Malawi Network for the Elderly. “This is very concerning.”
WATCH | Cyclone hits Malawi and Mozambique:
More than 200 people have died and many more are missing in south-east Africa after powerful Cyclone Freddy tore through the region. It is believed to be the longest cyclone, which is getting worse due to climate change.
Hundreds of people have been moved to camps but food and clean water are still scarce, Mavala said, with dozens of elderly people unsure how to recover.
“There is a feeling that they have lived and we have to put young people first. But they have to be helped and treated with dignity,” he said.
Scientists say that human-caused climate change has increased cyclone activity, making it stronger and more frequent. The recently ended La Nina that affected weather worldwide has also increased cyclone activity in the region in recent years.
Cyclone Freddy has been wreaking havoc in southern Africa since late February, when it hit Mozambique as well as the islands of Madagascar and Reunion.
Freddy first developed near Australia in early February and crossed the entire southern Indian Ocean before bouncing around the Mozambique Channel.
The UN weather agency has convened a panel of experts to determine whether it has broken the record for the longest cyclone in recorded history, which was set by Hurricane John for 31 days in 1994.
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