The impact of Cyclone Gombe, which has been devastating Nampula and Zambezia since Thursday, is still to be assessed. But already at the beginning of Friday night the province of Nampula, the most affected, counted ten deaths, according to preliminary data.
The deaths were registered in the districts of Angoche, Nampula, Ilha de Moçambique and Monapo, the most affected by the phenomenon, which also severely affected Meconta, Nacala-Porto, Liupo, Memba and Mossuril. Some of these regions were left without electricity.
Also in Nampula, there are indications of destruction of various public and private infrastructures, such as health units, schools, and precarious and conventional housing.
The Secretary of State in Nampula province, Mety Gondola, yesterday led a work to monitor the effects of the cyclone in some districts, where he learned that a large part of the roads are flooded.
Gondola, quoted by Notícia, assured that, on the ground, the teams are working, albeit with difficulty, to gather information.
According to him, the destruction of infrastructure sends the government into a reflection for the observance of the principle of resilience in construction.
In Zambezia province, more than thirty-two thousand people living in the administrative posts of Mulela and Nabur, in the district of Pebane, were isolated due to the collapse of a bridge that establishes the road connection between these regions, as a result of the rains.
The infrastructure in question is considered strategic for the economy of the Pebane district, in particular, and for Zambézia province, in general, because the two administrative posts are the largest producers of cashew nuts, peanuts, and fish, in addition to wood.
Luísa Meque, president of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (INGD), said that multi-sectorial relief teams are positioned in critical points to monitor and assist people in case of need.
For his part, speaking yesterday moments after the meeting of the Emergency Operating Committee, Belém Monteiro, vice president of INGD, assured that Zambézia province has the means to ensure assistance to people affected by the cyclone.
According to INGD, more than 580,000 people, 7,000 schools, 750 health facilities, 77 bridges, 15 stretches of road, and other basic infrastructure were at risk of being affected.
However, Acácio Tembe of the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) said that the intense tropical cyclone lost strength and lowered to the tropical depression stage after entering the continent.
He added that despite this, Zambezia and Nampula provinces will continue to record rainfall of 200 millimeters in 24 hours in the coming hours.
Some regions of Sofala, Niassa, Tete, and Cabo Delgado, in his words, will suffer the influence of the atmospheric system, with heavy rains accompanied by winds and thunderstorms.