“Dekelidi” strikes Mozambique

Tropical Storm Dikelidi hit northern Mozambique today, after killing at least three people in Madagascar and causing floods in the French archipelago of Mayotte.

The storm increased in intensity as it reached the coastal region of Nampula in Mozambique, bringing with it strong winds and torrential rains, according to the French Meteorological Service.

In December, at least 120 people were killed in northern Mozambique due to Cyclone Chido, which left at least 39 people dead in the Mayotte archipelago, where it caused widespread damage and injured more than 5,600 people.

The National Meteorological Institute in Mozambique issued warnings of possible flooding due to Dikelidi, predicting 200 millimeters of rain within 24 hours and winds that could reach speeds of 180 kilometers per hour.

President Felipe Nyusi called on citizens to be cautious during the storm, including taking shelter in shelters and storing water and food.

He said at the opening of a parliamentary session in the capital, Maputo, “Immediately go to a safe shelter and stay there until receiving additional instructions from the authorities.”

At least three people were killed in Madagascar when Dikelidi hit the island nation last weekend, the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said Sunday.

Dikelidi reached the northern tip of the island at hurricane level on Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.

The French Meteorological Service warned that the storm may strike Madagascar again in the southwest as it heads southward later in the week.

Hurricanes usually form in the Indian Ocean between November and March, but the surface water temperature during this period approached 30 degrees Celsius in the region, which allowed storms to intensify in a climate warming phenomenon that was also recorded this fall in the North Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.