Hurricane Freddy, considered extraordinary by the scientific community, caused severe damage in its passage through Africa; See why in this situation summary.
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Its exceptional longevity
The cyclone formed in the Indian Ocean in early February and quietly broke Cyclone John’s previous 31-day record.
loop path
Freddy crossed the Indian Ocean twice before hitting several African countries, covering more than 10,000 km, almost twice the width of Canada.
Difficult weather conditions
The tropical cyclone brings with it strong winds, which have already reached 265 km/h, and heavy rain showers, which in turn cause flooding and landslides, destroying houses and other buildings in their path.
Poor countries shape
Not only does Freddy wreak havoc through the fact that he’s a cyclone, but he also wreaks even more damage since he’s hit some of the world’s poorest countries. According to Statista data, Malawi is the third poorest country in the world, followed by Madagascar 5th and Mozambique 9th.
These countries are now threatened by a humanitarian crisis as many homes have been destroyed and need to be rebuilt and the health situation is conducive to the development of disease.
cholera outbreak
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cholera spread rapidly in this area of Africa in early February, infecting as many people in one month as it did in all of 2022. Malawi, followed by Mozambique, are the African countries hardest hit by the epidemic .
Cholera causes an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae, therefore the risk of spread after a climate disaster is greater.
With information from MétéoMédia