Southern Africa's deadliest storms in 20 years

An elderly woman stands next to her destroyed belongings on March 19, 2019, after the area was hit by the Cyclone Idai. More than a thousand people are feared to have died in Mozambique alone while scores have been killed and more than 200 are missing in neighbouring Zimbabwe following the deadliest cyclone to hit southern Africa. PHOTO | ZINYANGE AUNTONY | AFP

By  AFP

What you need to know:

  • In January-February 2013 the southern province of Gaza is again struck by flooding.
  • In January 2015, the Licungo river which bisects Mozambique surges by 12 metres, killing 160 people.
  • In March 2004 Cyclone Gafilo slams into Madagascar, devastating its north and west, and claiming around 240 lives.

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Here is a recap of some of the worst storms to have hit southern Africa in the past 20 years:

In February and March 2000, Mozambique's worst floods in half a century leave about 800 people dead, at least 50,000 homeless and two million more affected in a population of 17 million.

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Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane provinces are the worst hit. The devastation is compounded by the passage of Cyclone Eline, which also kills 130 people in Madagascar.

In January-February 2013 the southern province of Gaza is again struck by flooding, with more than 100 people killed and 250,000 affected. Roads, hospitals and houses are washed away.

In January 2015, the Licungo river which bisects Mozambique surges by 12 metres (39 feet), killing 160 and leaving 177,000 homeless. In neighbouring Malawi, 28 districts are submerged, claiming 176 lives and leaving 153 missing.

In March 2004 Cyclone Gafilo slams into Madagascar, devastating its north and west, and claiming around 240 lives with 180 people reported missing.

Around 300,000 people are hurt and 305,000 left without shelter.

POWERFUL CYCLONES

The island country has a long history of powerful cyclones and tropical storms.

They include Cyclone Geralda in February 1994, which claimed at least 200 lives and affected 500,000 people, and Gretelle in January 1997, which left 152 dead and 60,000 homeless.

After a severe drought, massive flooding in Zimbabwe between December 2016 and February 2017 claims 246 lives.

More than 2,000 people are left homeless and 70 dams destroyed. A subsequent outbreak of malaria kills 150 people over two months.

From October 1997 to January 1998 more than 6,000 are killed in flooding caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, which pounds Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.

The three-month disaster starts in Somalia, where 1,800 die and 230,000 are left homeless when the Juba River bursts its banks.

Thousands of cattle are killed in the region, with harvests ruined and infrastructure destroyed, leading to a cholera outbreak and famine.

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