Following the damage caused by tropical cyclone Kenneth in the Comoros and northern Mozambique, the European Union is providing an initial assistance of 1.5 million euros to help those affected. In case of Mozambique, Kenneth was the second devastating cyclone hitting the country in a bit more than a month. The EU’s aid will deliver essential supplies as the impoverished African country is recovering from the first cyclone Idai.
The humanitarian aid will also target food aid, emergency shelters, water, sanitation and basic essential items as well as telecommunications support. The cyclones brought heavy rainfall and strong winds that forced many people from their homes, damaging infrastructure and crops. Cyclone Idai left more than 600 people dead only a month ago. The EU aid following Idai came at the request of the government of Mozambique and included the utilization of the EU’s Copernicus satellite mapping services that helped provide maps of affected areas and assisted with the planning of relief operations.
More than 30,000 people were evacuated since the second tropical cyclone hit the country and 70,000 are still at risk, a UN office commented before the weekend (26 April). The storm built up in the middle of last week with a wind speed of 140 kph that later intensified to 220 kph. With this speed that would categorize Kenneth into a ‘category 4 hurricane’, the tropical storm is the strongest to have ever hit Mozambique but its impact has so far not been as strong as that of Idai. Northern Mozambique is not as populated as Beira, where Idai had hit, and the region struck by Kenneth has not had intense rains in recent days, which has further mitigated its impact.
