Heavy rains and winds displaced 45 families affected by floods earlier this year and who were resettled in a center in Chimbonde, on the outskirts of the Mozambican city of Tete, victims and authorities told VOA on Wednesday.

The Chimbonde resettlement center is home to hundreds of families displaced by flooding caused by the tropical depression Ana, which hit Mozambique in January.

"We've been having a bad time for four days with windstorms," which preceded the heavy rain, said Zeferino Macuacua, who had his entire shack destroyed, and is now looking for where to start.

"The tents were all down, and we stretched out again to get through the night," said the young man, now unemployed and surviving on odd jobs.

Another victim, Dorca Tomas, said that the storm surprised most of the displaced people in the makeshift tents as they waited to erect housing on the government-allotted plots.

"The rain and wind came strong, and we couldn't stay in the tent that didn't resist, and we had to ask for lodging in a neighbor's house," said Dorca Tomas, one of the victims, emphasizing that the tent collapse only worsened the precarious living conditions.

Among the victims are widows and elderly people, unable to erect housing that will withstand the new rainy season.

Meanwhile, the administrator of Tete, João Barroso, said that the authorities are studying a way to help the victims, in food and new tarpaulins.

The rainy season in Mozambique kicked off last month and runs until March 2023. Heavy rains and flooding are predicted.

The authorities are engaged in removing the population in the riverine and flood-prone areas.

The Inform disaster risk assessment tool indicates that Mozambique ranks ninth out of 191 countries in vulnerability to hazards, exposure to hazards, and lack of response capacity.