Serious flooding is raging in parts of northern Mozambique hit by Cyclone Kenneth three days ago.
The government urged people to immediately seek higher ground. Hundreds of thousands of people were at risk with more rain forecast for days ahead.
‘Help us, we are losing everything,’ residents in the region’s main city, Pemba, shouted at passing cars as the rushing waters flooded their homes and heavy rain fell. Women and girls with buckets and pots tried to scoop away the torrent.
Houses began to collapse and a rescue team was mobilised, United Nations workers said.
A couple walk through rising waters in Natite neighbourhood, Pemba, Mozambique today
People leave their flooded homes, in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique today
A child sits on a bus during rainfall, in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique on Sunday
‘We are unfortunately expecting devastating floods,’ the UN humanitarian agency said in a tweet.
Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai ripped into central Mozambique and killed more than 600 people with flooding.
The new storm’s remnants could dump twice as much rain as Idai, the UN World Programme has said. As much as 9 inches, or about a quarter of the average annual rainfall for the region, had been forecast over the next few days.
‘I have never seen such rains in my life,’ said one Pemba resident, 35-year-old Michael Fernando.
A man clears rubble on a street, in Pemba, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique today
A family desperately scoop water from their flooded home, in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba, Mozambique, today
Up to 4 inches were forecast in the next 24 hours for some parts of the region, Mozambique’s meteorological institute said.
This was the first time in recorded history that the southern African nation has been hit by two cyclones in one season, again raising concerns about climate change.
Some Pemba residents tried to pile up tyres and sand-filled sacks as barricades. Children took refuge in a bus that appeared to be stuck as vehicles struggled on the streets. Cars began to slip under the waters.
A woman crosses a flooded street, in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique on Sunday
Women wait outside a closed shop in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba city, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique on Sunday
A pregnant woman makes her way out of her flooded home in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba
There was no immediate word of deaths on Sunday. Authorities have said at least five people died after Kenneth roared in Thursday evening with the force of a Category 4 hurricane, stunning residents of a region where such a storm had not been recorded in the modern era.
More than 160,000 people have been affected in the largely rural region, many already exposed and hungry. More than 35,000 homes in parts of Mozambique’s northernmost Cabo Delgado were partially or fully destroyed by the storm.
On Saturday, aerial photos showed several coastal communities flattened by the storm.
‘Not a single house is standing any more,’ said Saviano Abreu, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency.
A boy does push-ups in the rain, in Pemba, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique
A family walks in the rain, in Natite neighbourhood, Pemba on Sunday
This was the first time in recorded history that the southern African nation has been hit by two cyclones in one season, again raising concerns about climate change.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has reported heavy damage to Cabo Delgado province, with the communities of Macomia, Quissanga and Mocimboa da Praia of highest concern.
About 3,500 homes in parts of Cabo Delgado were partially or fully destroyed by the cyclone, with electricity cut, some roads blocked and at least one key bridge collapsed.
A woman scoops water from her flooded house in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba city
Water gushes from a flooded house, in Pemba, Mozambique, on Sunday
Children seek refugee from the rain, on a bus, in Pemba, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique, on Sunday
Water gushes out from a house, in Pemba, on the northeastern coast of Mozambique on Sunday
A young boy takes a break from scooping water from his family home, in Natite neighbourhood, in Pemba, Mozambique
In this photo provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), badly damaged communities are seen from an aerial view, in Macomia district, Mozambique, before flooding started on Saturday
Men carry a mobile shop to safer ground in Pemba city on the northeastern coast of Mozambique on Saturday before rain started to fall
Community members look at rubble and other items washed close to their doorstep when Cyclone Kenneth struck in Pemba on Saturday
In this photo badly damaged communities are seen from an aerial view, Ibo island, Mozambique yesterday
In this badly damaged communities are seen from an aerial view, in Macomia district, Mozambique, on Saturday before floods began
Men repair a road damaged by Cyclone Kenneth in Pemba city on the northeastern coast of Mozambique on Saturday before flooding hit
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