Hurricane Freddy killed 300 people in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique, and the tropical storm left tens of thousands of people homeless. Aid organizations are now warning of famine.

According to the authorities, the unusually long-lasting tropical storm „Freddy” killed 300 people in three countries in Southeast Africa – Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. The hardest hit was poverty-stricken Malawi, with the disaster management agency reporting 225 deaths.

According to official figures, nearly 800 people have been injured in the country due to heavy rains, floods and landslides. However, the numbers could be much higher because the transmission of information is currently severely restricted due to damage to the infrastructure.

More than 20,000 people are homeless

Rescue workers continued to search for survivors trapped by landslides or cut off from the outside world by floods. The police and army have been involved in the operations in the East African country. „The floods are the biggest problem,” said Malawian Red Cross spokesman Felix Washon. Authorities said at least 37 people are still missing.

According to the Civil Protection Agency, more than 20,000 people have been left homeless. According to the authority, thousands of people have been housed in makeshift camps. Some of them found shelter in churches and schools.

Aid organizations fear that cholera cases will rise sharply again, especially in the south, after a cholera outbreak, which has lasted for a year and is the largest in Malawi’s history so far, has yet to be overcome.

Disaster declared in the south

The government has declared a state of emergency in the worst affected area, southern Malawi. „The devastation is massive,” said Washon, a spokesman for the Red Cross. It is quite a challenge to reach those stuck due to the destroyed bridges and the increasing water level. „We found people in trees, on rooftops, on higher ground,” Washon said.

It has also been killed in Mozambique and Madagascar

At least 67 people have died in Mozambique, according to President Felipe Nyusi. The number could double, Nyusi said during a flight on Wednesday, as many of the affected areas could not be reached yet. At least 17 people have been killed in the island nation of Madagascar.

„Freddy” sets Malawi back by years

The cyclone has wreaked havoc in southeastern Africa for the second time in a month since late Friday night. According to Welthungerhilfe, poor Malawi in particular had years in development affected by the cyclone. The country’s program manager for the Southeast African country, Claudia Block, explained that the country relies heavily on agriculture and rainfall, and is therefore particularly vulnerable to severe weather. „The floods have destroyed entire crops,” she said. „The affected people have lost everything.”

The program director explained that even before the storm, the food situation was very tense. About 7.3 million people are unable to adequately feed themselves, and nearly 40 percent of children under the age of five are chronically undernourished. „The country is currently going through what is called the 'lean period’, which is the time between harvests,” Block said. “Families live hand to mouth during this time, and the next harvest is eagerly awaited for this month.”

The longest tornado ever recorded

Over a month ago, on February 6th, a tropical storm formed off the northwest coast of Australia and was declared a hurricane. After traversing the entire southern Indian Ocean, Freddy made its first landfall in Madagascar on February 21. From there, the storm moved to Mozambique and back on a rare „loop” path across the Indian Ocean with even greater strength and even more rain. On March 11, he reached Mozambique and Malawi for the second time.

According to the World Weather Organization (WMO), the storm, which has raged for more than a month, is likely to be the longest-running hurricane since weather records began. According to the forecast, the storm is likely to head out to sea again throughout the week, weakening as it goes. South Africa is currently going through its cyclone season which can bring heavy rains and storms until March or April.