Cyclone Eloise has affected more than 270,000 people across southern Africa, including over 1,000 in Zimbabwe.
Cyclone Eloise made landfall near Beira, a major city in Sofala province, central Mozambique, on 23 January with high winds, heavy rains and severe flooding.
Many Zimbabweans have lost their lives, homes, and livelihoods, with the storm also ruining Covid-19 mitigation and containment measures in the country.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called on relevant stakeholders to increase support for the people of Zimbabwe as the country battles to recover from the impact of the storm and Covid-19.
‘The tropical storm, the spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths as well as the potential arrival of a new Covid-19 variant is endangering the lives of Zimbabwe’s population’, Zimbabwe Country Director at IRC, Zvidzai Maburutse, said in a statement.
In Manicaland province, a number of houses and a school in Chimanimani and Chipinge have been reportedly damaged.
It is understood that relevant government authorities are still compiling the magnitude of the damage caused.
‘What is especially concerning is that the cyclone has reduced access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities, services that are crucial in the fight against Covid-19’, Maburutse.
‘The storm has also made it difficult for those affected to stay in line with preventative measures because water and sanitation’.
He added that Cyclone Eloise destroyed irrigation schemes, granaries, kraals, and chicken runs for many households that depend on them for their livelihoods, reducing access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.
‘The storm has also made it difficult for those affected to stay in line with preventative measures because water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged and belongings, including masks, have been destroyed in the storm’, he said.
‘People in evacuation centres are at risk of Covid-19 due to lack of hygiene support.
‘Many of those affected need soap, detergents, blankets, buckets, water treatment chemicals, and mosquito nets’.
The humanitarian organisation, which said it had reached out to families affected by the storm with emergency items and cash, noted that with more funding, it can scale up support to those most affected.
Source: IRC
Photo source: IRC